Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy VIII....

Author's Note: This was a quicker update than I had expected. I'm sorry that this chapter is pretty short. To be totally honest, I am really starting to get sick of writing this fic. I'm hoping that I will be able to wrap it up in the next couple of chapters. For what I have planned, I don't think it'll take any more than three more chapters. Thank you all for being so great to me with this fic. You all totally rock!

On the Ice

Chapter 20- Little Miracles

"Are you okay?" Squall asked Rinoa after the police had taken Seifer away.

Rinoa nodded. "I think so."

He gently took her hand and together they walked back into the hotel. "I was ready to kill Seifer back there, you know."

Rinoa looked at him. "You seemed pretty calm to me. I'm glad that you handled the situation the way you did."

"I was trying to remain calm for your sake. So, are you saying that you're glad that I didn't hurt Seifer?"

"Not that you didn't hurt him...but, I'd rather not see my husband go to jail."

Squall put his arm around her protectively as they entered their room. "No attacking him then, huh? I suppose I wouldn't be much good to you in jail."

Rinoa smiled. "I'm selfish. I want you around me all the time."

"That definitely shouldn't be a problem," he said, smirking.

Rinoa was about to respond when a pain shot through her. "Argh!" she cried out as she grabbed her stomach.

"Rinoa!" Squall said alarmed. "What's wrong?"

"M-my stomach! Squall, I think something is wrong with the baby!"

Squall's eyes widened. "The baby? Rinoa, are you sure?"

"Argh!" she cried out as another pain hit her hard. "Yes, I think so!"

"Okay, just calm down. I'm going to get you to the nearest hospital."

"Please hurry, Squall! Something is definitely wrong!" At this point, Rinoa was crumpled up on the floor, sobbing, as she clutched at her stomach.

Squall took a deep breath and assessed the situation. Alright, I need to get a cab to take Rinoa to the hospital, or would an ambulance be better...? "Rinoa, should I call an ambulance? Or do you think a cab would be faster?"

"I don't care! Just make this stop!" Rinoa cried.

"Alright, just breathe, Rinoa. Can you get up?" He extended his hand and helped her to her feet. "Okay, lean your weight me and I'll support you. Let's go down to the lobby and see if they can get us to the hospital as fast as possible." Rinoa nodded and braced herself as they walked to the elevator and then took it down to the lobby. "I need an ambulance!" Squall told the secretary as soon as they exited the elevator.

"What's the problem?" she asked.

"The problem is that my wife is eight months pregnant and in severe pain. Call a freaking ambulance now!" Squall growled.

"Yes, Sir!" the secretary said, startled by his tone.

"Hang in there, Rinoa. The ambulance is on its way."

"S-Squall...this isn't supposed to be happening!" she sobbed. "Why is this happening?"

Squall held her, rubbing her back soothingly. "You're going to be fine, Rinoa. You've already been to hell and back. You can fight this!"

Rinoa nodded half-heartedly and clenched her teeth against the raging pain. "Come on, come on," she urged the ambulance.

A few minutes later, the ambulance pulled up in front of the hotel and two paramedics entered the building with a stretcher. The loaded Rinoa onto the stretcher and into the ambulance, Squall clutching her hand the hole time. He was beginning to feel a strong sense of deja vu from when Rinoa had hurt her leg.

Squall looked to one of the nearest paramedics. "Do you know what's going on with my wife? Is she going to be okay?" he asked frantically.

"At this point, we don't know. What we do know is that she is in labor. If she doesn't have the baby when we get to the hospital, both of them could die."

As those words were said, everything in Squall's world came crashing down, and for the first time in his life, he blacked out.

******************************************************************************************

"Mr. Leonhart, can you hear me?"

Squall squinted up at the voice above him. "What happened?"

The nurse smiled sympathetically. "You passed out back in the ambulance. It took quite awhile for you to regain consciousness."

Squall shot up in the hospital bed as he recalled the reason why he had been in the ambulance in the first place. "What about Rinoa? Where is she? How is she?" he asked frantically.

"Is Rinoa your wife? I'm sorry, but I don't know her current condition. They took her in about ten minutes ago. Like I said, you were out for awhile."

"I need to go be with her! Please, you have to take me to her!" Squall pleaded.

The nurse nodded. "Alright, follow me."

Squall jumped up and followed her grimly. He didn't know what to expect regarding Rinoa's condition. He couldn't help remembering the paramedic's words, "If she doesn't have the baby when we get to the hospital, both of them could die." Squall shook his head, trying to rid himself of the unthinkable.

"Here you are, Mr. Leonhart," the nurse said as she stopped outside of a door. "Your wife is in there."
Nodding, Squall took a deep breath and opened the door. He was met with the sight of Rinoa, surrounded by doctors, in the process of giving birth to their child. "Squall," she gasped.

He rushed to her side and took her hand. "I'm here now, Rinoa. We are going to get through this together."

She nodded and squeezed his hand tighter. Sweat was pouring down her face and she was breathing heavily. "I...can...do...this!"

"That's it, Rinoa ," one of the doctors said encouragingly. "Just one more push and you're home free."

"Yes," Rinoa whispered. She clenched her left fist and squeezed Squall's hand with her right. Then, she took a deep breath, said a silent prayer, and did everything in her power to bring her baby into the world of the living.

A baby's cries filled up the room then, and it was the most beautiful sound that Rinoa had ever heard. "Congratulations Mr. and Mrs. Leonhart, it's a girl. What are you going to name her?"

"Sabina," Rinoa whispered as she held her little bundle of joy. "Sabina Leonhart."

The doctor smiled. "You two gave us quite a scare, but it looks like little Sabina is going to be just fine, despite being born premature."

"Look at her, Squall," Rinoa cooed. "Isn't she the most perfect little thing that you've ever seen?"

"Yeah," Squall breathed, "she is."

******************************************************************************************

"Okay, let me see her!" Selphie squealed as soon as Rinoa opened the door to their house three days later.

"Shh," she scolded, "Sabina is sleeping. You're welcome to see her as long as you're quiet."

"Alright, I promise to be quiet! Now can I see her?"

Irvine rolled his eyes. "Selphie, calm down. Give Rinoa a chance to breathe before you start bombarding her."

"Thanks, Irvine. It's too bad that you couldn't be there for the birth. I'm sure that if you were, it wouldn't have been as chaotic," Rinoa told him.

Selphie pouted. "I wish we could have been there, but your timing was horrible! Couldn't you have waited a few more days?"

Rinoa laughed. "You're going to have to complain to Sabina about her impeccable timing."

"Rinoa, is that Selphie and Irvine?" Squall asked quietly as he walked into the living room, Sabina asleep in his arms.

All three just turned to stare at him. Rinoa was the first to break into a grin. "Yup, Irvine and Selphie are here. They wanted to see Sabina."

"Well, here she is," Squall whispered. "She's still asleep, but...." he trailed off, lost in simply admiring his daughter.

"Aw," Selphie said. "I have never seen anything more adorable."

Rinoa's smile widened, knowing that Selphie was not only talking about Sabina, but of seeing her in Squall's arms. "Neither have I."

"She is so tiny! Oh, look at those little fingers, Irvine!" Selphie squealed excitedly.

Curious as to who was making all the racket, Sabina opened her eyes. The tiny brown orbs stared up questioningly at her father.

Squall chuckled. "I don't understand her, either," he reassured her. "Selphie is just Selphie, but she's your godmother, whom I can already tell will love you very much."

Selphie eyes widened. "Godmother? Really? You're making me Sabina's godmother?"

Squall nodded. "I told you I could persuade Rinoa. She's very easy to persuade," he winked.

"Squall!" Rinoa refrained from hitting him only because he was holding their child. "You know that's not true! I've said from the beginning that I wanted Selphie to be our child's godmother."

Squall shrugged. "Okay, so I lied about that, but admit it, you are easy to persuade."

Rinoa shot him a look. "You are just extremely lucky that you are holding a baby right now."

Irvine laughed. "It looks like this is our cue to get going. Thanks for letting us see Sabina. She really is gorgeous."

"Thank you, Irvine," Rinoa said sincerely. "I'm glad that you two stopped by. Oh, and this is pretty much a given, but Squall and I want you to be Sabina's godfather. That is, if you want to be."

Irvine grinned. "Now, how could I refuse an offer like that? I would be honored."

"Thanks, you two," Rinoa smiled. "Come back any time that you want. I won't bite your head off, I promise."

"Well then, we'll definitely be seeing you soon. If you ever need any help, I'm just a phone call away." Selphie told her. "So, if you ever feel like you need a break, just give me a call. I'd be more than happy to baby-sit."

"I'll definitely keep that in mind. Thank you, Selphie," Rinoa said as she hugged her. "Bye!"

"Bye!" Selphie waved as her and Irvine left.

Squall took a seat down on the couch and began rocking his daughter back to sleep. Rinoa sat down next to him, resting her head on his shoulder. "I can't believe how lucky I am. I almost lost the both of you," Squall whispered.

"I wasn't going to quit until I knew that Sabina was safe, even if it meant giving up my life for her. But when I saw your face...and how much hope you had...I had to hold on to both of our lives."

"I'm glad that you did," Squall told her, the tears in his eyes expressing just how much of an understatement that was.

Rinoa's gaze mirrored his own. "So am I."

~*~