Author: Claire Vincent

Date: October 2004

Disclaimer: The Clayton Webb character, and other JAG characters, belongs to Donald P. Bellisario, Bellisario Productions, CBS, et al. All other characters and situations of this story belong to the author. No copying of this material is allowed without my consent. For you reading pleasure, one copy is allowed.

WEBB Odyssey

Adventures of Clayton Webb and his friends at JAG, and certain special someone.

This is the last chapter of this Webb Odyssey. There may be another one in the works. Let me know what you think.

Epilogue

Clayton Webb Residence

Arlington, VA

1612 local time

It was a quiet Sunday afternoon, the kind Clay liked best. He and Amy had a leisurely day starting with church services early, then coming home and having brunch and reading the paper.

Right now Amy was outside puttering in the garden, and he was catching up on some work he had brought home from the office. Clay wasn't sure how Amy was able to work in the garden much these days. She had to work around the baby that was protruding out from her middle. People had said that from the back she hardly looked pregnant, that the baby was all in the front. Amy of course complained that she looked, and felt as big as a house. Clay thought she had never looked more beautiful.

She had her good days, and bad days. Lately, she seemed to have new energy, and kept herself busy all the time. He had suggested she relax in the garden this afternoon instead of working in it, but she said she was too restless, and wanted to get the work done before the baby came. Clay had let her go, with instructions not to over do it, and had gone into his home office to work.

As he typed away on a report, he heard his wife's voice from the doorway. 'Clay.'

'Just a minute.' He replied. He wanted to finish this thought.

'Clay, I need your help.' She said a little more insistently.

'Yeah, I'll be right there....' He said, still typing frantically.

'Clay, look at me!' she insisted.

He glanced over the top of his laptop screen, never missing a key stroke. He took in her clothes, which looked wet, and still typing asked, 'What happened honey? Did you lose a fight with the hose?'

'No Clay,' came her reserved reply. 'My water broke.' She was trying to wait patiently for him to catch on to what was happening. She didn't want to really surprise him, but she needed his attention.

'Your water broke.' He repeated, finishing his thought on the computer screen. Just as he hit the save button, it dawned on him. 'Your water broke!' he immediately stood up and walked toward her. 'Why didn't you say some thing!' he asked.

'I was trying....' She answered, and then bent down as she felt a sharp pain across her middle. Clay rushed over to hold her and steady her so she wouldn't fall, waiting for the pain to pass. Were contractions supposed to start this quickly? The thought crossed his mind. Well, they were starting, ready or not.

As the pain eased a little, the same thought crossed Amy's mind, along with the question of whether they were supposed to be this hard right away. She was using the breathing techniques they had been taught in labor classes, and felt better as the contraction eased. 'We better get to the hospital.' She said between breaths.

'Right.' Clay agreed, and started walking with her toward the front door. The car was in the driveway, her bag packed and in the trunk, for just this situation. He had her seated, and belted in her seat, as another hard contraction came over her. Clay stayed by her side, coaching her breathing as the pain came and went. He asked, 'Can I get you anything before we head to the hospital?'

'No.' she said decisively, 'just get me to the hospital.' Amy was getting worried. The pains were very strong, and coming close together.

The drive to the hospital seemed to take much longer than Amy remembered, as the contractions came on stronger and faster with each passing one. Clay helped as much as he could, but he was also getting worried. Luckily it was a Sunday afternoon, and traffic was light.

When he pulled up at the hospital he decided to go through the emergency room, not the main lobby. He felt Amy needed to be seen by a doctor as soon as possible.

He came around to the passenger side of the car to help her out, but she was having yet another contraction, 'Get a chair' she gasped, and he turned and ran into the building looking for a wheel chair. Two were folded and waiting inside the door, he grabbed one, and went back out to the car. Waiting for a lull in the pains, Clay helped her into the wheel chair, then quickly brought her into the ER.

Mercy Hospital

Arlington, VA

1650 local time

Amy was brought into an exam room immediately, and nurses came around to help her into a dry hospital gown, and make her more comfortable on an exam table. Clay stepped aside to let them help, but stayed close if Amy needed him. They were all smiling and asking if this was their first one, when was she due, and generally making small talk about babies. This helped calm Clay down a little, they knew what they were doing, and everything was going to be all right.

A nurse placed a monitor on Amy's swollen middle, and the room filled with the fast thump, thump, of the baby's heart beat. Clay's almost matched the speed when he first heard it. 'That's awful fast.' He stated nervously, 'Should it really sound like that?'

One of the nurses was checking a gauge on the monitor, and slowly said, 'Yes...Mr. Webb. I'm going to get the doctor now and everything should be fine.' She smiled at him as she passed out of the room to go find the doctor.

Another nurse left behind her, and the last nurse was pulling supplies out of a cabinet. Clay stepped up closer to Amy and looked down at her taking her hand. Her face was flushed, and had a light sheen of sweat on it; her hair was sticking to her forehead. She looked a little calmer too, now that they were safely at the hospital. Clay smiled at her and repeated the nurse's words. 'Everything will be all right.'

Amy nodded, then suddenly, her face contorted with pain, and her body bowed up from the table in a grip of a contraction. She squeezed Clay's hand, almost crushing it. 'What's wrong?' he shouted. The monitor was beeping at a high pitch, and the nurse ran over to Amy. 'What's the matter? What's happening?' Clay demanded, but he could see the nurse had no answers for him yet.

At this moment, one of the other nurses rushed back in, and close on her heels was a doctor. A nurse pushed Clay away to get at Amy, another came up to him, saying 'Please wait outside. We will let you know what is happening as soon as possible.'

Clay had a more questions, and a refusal to leave on his lips, when he noticed he had been pushed out of the room. He watched the door close, and could only see through the small window, however with nurses rushing, and the doctor giving orders, he could not tell what was going on.

He waited helplessly, and saw Amy relax again on the exam table. The nurses began piling things around her on the table, and moving equipment out of the way of the door where Clay stood.

The doctor stepped out, and looked at Clay, clearly with bad news. 'Mr. Webb.' She said.

'What is happening? Is my wife all right?' Clay tried to ask calmly.

'Your wife is bleeding, and the baby is in distress. We will be moving her to surgery for an emergency C-section. My name is Dr. Cynthia Mauer. I will perform the surgery.'

'Are they going to be all right?' Clay asked, and was suddenly afraid of the answer.

The doctor looked him in the eye, 'We will do everything we can, Mr. Webb. I have to get upstairs. You can come up with your wife, and wait upstairs.' Then she turned and headed for the elevators.

Clay swallowed hard, past the lump in his throat. He didn't know what to do. Behind him he heard a bang, and the exam table that carried Amy came out of the ER room, and headed in a different direction for another set of elevators. Clay turned, and jogged to catch up.

Amy was breathing hard, and had her eyes closed. 'I'm right here Amy.' Clay said walking beside the gurney, but he was not sure she heard him. They entered the elevator, and started on their way upstairs. The only sound was Amy's breathing, and quiet moans of pain.

The doors opened, and they rushed out again, down a hall, and through some more double doors. One of the nurses stopped at the doors, and grabbed Clay's arm. 'You will have to wait in there, Mr. Webb. I'm sorry.' She said, indicating the waiting room on the right. 'We will do everything we can for your wife and baby. Dr. Mauer is one of the best. Believe me.' Then she turned and walked into the surgical area.

Clay walked over to the waiting room in a daze. He couldn't believe this was all happening. He walked around the room, looking out the window, and then paced again over to the doors, but could see no one inside. Presumably they were in an operating room now. He walked back to the waiting room. He realized he hated being alone. He reached in his pocket for his cell phone, and found that he had rushed out of the house without it. There was a phone on the table, so he picked it up and dialed a number from memory.

Mercy Hospital

Arlington, VA

1723 local time

Harm and Sarah dropped everything at their place, and made it in record time to the hospital as soon as they received Clay's call. He was worried, and afraid, and didn't want to be alone. Could they come to the hospital? He didn't know who else to call.

They were here now, and would wait with him. Try and reassure him, but they were worried too. After the initial hellos, and how is she, and what did the doctor say, sort of questions when they first arrived, the three of them waited quietly in the waiting room. Both Harm and Sarah were trying to find something else to say, to keep Clay talking.

Harm asked, 'Have you called your Mother yet? Or Amy's father?'

'I didn't want to worry them.' Clay answered. He knew it sounded like a poor excuse, but he didn't see the point of worrying then until he had some real news. What he hoped would be good news. And Amy's father was so far away, he hated the thought of scaring him, and making wait by the phone, alone in Wisconsin.

Harm nodded at Clay's answer. He tried to think of excuses for Clay to make the calls, but maybe it was better not to call the other family members yet, and have to explain everything over again. Besides, Clay didn't know what was going on, or what had gone wrong, only that his wife was in surgery, and he was out here waiting to hear the outcome.

Sarah wanted to ask if they had picked out names for the baby, or make small talk about if the room was ready yet. She knew Amy had been working on it, and had been sewing curtains, and a crib quilt, but she had not seen them yet. Somehow talking about these happy, anticipation things didn't seem to fit in the tense atmosphere of the waiting room, so she kept quiet. She was worried for her friend, and wished that at least this happy event would have gone smoothly for Amy and Clay.

Time passed slowly. None of them knew how long something like this was supposed to take, and if it took longer, was that a bad sign?

A couple of times nurses came out of the surgical area, but they did not come to the waiting room to give them any information. Each time the door opened, Clay's heartbeat raced, then would fall back again when the people walked by, or over to the nurse's station.

After what seemed like hours, a nurse in surgical scrubs finally came out of the automatic surgical doors, and walked over to the waiting room. Clay had sat down again, for the hundredth time to try and calm down, he was looking away when he heard the doors open, and was trying not to expect anything, when he heard a polite, 'Mr. Webb?'

He turned to her and stood up in one fluid motion, hope and worry showing equally on his face. 'Yes. How is she?'

The nurse smiled a tired smile. 'Your wife is fine. And so is your daughter. They will be brining her out in just a few minutes. After that you will be able to see your wife in the recovery room.' Then she turned, and walked back over to the nurses' station.

Clay had only heard the first sentence. 'Your wife is fine.' The words spread through him like a warm tonic. Then one other word echoed on their heels. Daughter. It's a girl. We have a girl. I have a baby girl.

As this was beginning to seep in, Harm came over and slapped on the back. 'A girl! Congratulations Clay, that's wonderful.' He said with a big smile.

'A girl.' Clay answered. Then he looked up into Harm's happy face, and returned it with a big smile of his own. 'It's a girl, and she is fine.'

Sarah came up and gave him a hug. 'Congratulations Clay.' She said. 'It's a girl' he told her. Sarah laughed at him. 'I know, I heard.' She said. After the time of being so worried, they were all a little light headed, and they all started laughing.

'I have to call Mother.' Clay said, and started moving toward the phone on the table. The automatic doors opened again, and a cart, with a large clear box on the top came rolling out. Inside were some hospital supplies, and a little bundle, wrapped up in pink.

When Harm saw the cart come over to the waiting room, he called over his shoulder to Clay. 'There is someone here to see you, Clay.' He said.

Clay turned and saw the nurse pushing the cart. He replaced the phone and stepped over to look inside.

There lay his new daughter. She had a stocking cap on her head and a sort of scowl on her face, with her bottom lip sticking out. She didn't look too happy to be here. Her skin seemed so thin; he could see blood vessels just underneath, giving her a very red color. She was bound up tight in the blanket, but one arm was sticking out from the top, and a tiny hand was in a fist, lying close to her cheek.

Clay was amazed at the perfect little finger, complete with wrinkled knuckles and impossibly small finger nails. 'Hello there.' Clay was at a loss for words. What do you say to a new baby? Your baby? Then he realized it didn't matter. He tentatively held out a finger and touched first her little fist, then stroked her cheek. Her face relaxed and her mouth started moving as if she was sucking on something, then it stopped as suddenly as it started, and she seemed to go to sleep.

Harm and Sarah walked over and looked inside the small crib on the cart also. Both of them have that soft sort of smile everyone has when looking at a new baby.

'Oh, she's beautiful!' Sarah said.

'She looks like you Clay.' Harm said.

Clay noticed that there is just a little bit of dark hair sticking out from the stocking cap. And he begins to notice the shape of her nose, and set of her eyes.

He smiles. 'Yes, maybe she does.'

Clay looks quickly at the nurse standing patiently by, 'May I hold her?' he asked hopefully.

The nurse takes in the tired look of the new father, knowing what he went through in the past couple of hours. 'Not right now.' She says carefully. 'I'll take her down to the nursery, and you can see her there, and you can holder her a little later.'

Clay nods his head. 'All right.' He steps aside to let the nurse through, never taking is eyes off the pink bundle on the cart.

Harm's voice breaks into his thoughts. 'We will head home now, and let you go see Amy.'

'Please stay.' Clay said. 'I'm sure Amy will want to see you both.'

Sarah smiles and laughs at this. 'I'm sure she will not want to see any visitors right now. You give her our love and tell her we will come by tomorrow, after she has a chance to get some rest.' She leans in and gives Clay an affectionate kiss on the cheek.

'Give her our best Clay.' Harm says, patting him on the back again.

'Thanks for everything.' Clay says, as they turn to leave.

A few minutes later, another nurse comes to the waiting room and tells Clay he can come back to recovery, and see Amy.

Amy was in a long room, curtained off to give some privacy to the patients there. The nurse directed Clay to where Amy was laying. She looked pale and small on the bed. Clay thought she was asleep, and was afraid to wake her. But as soon as he touched her hand, and leaned in to kiss her forehead, her eyes popped open.

'Hi' she said sleepily.

'Hi yourself.' Clay said softly.

Amy closed her eyes again, but asked, 'Did you see her?'

'She's beautiful. Just like her mother.' He said softly.

'Mom isn't very beautiful right now' Amy said with a smile, but she appreciated the compliment none the less. 'She looks like you.'

Clay nodded, 'Yes, maybe. Poor girl.' He said smiling.

'Both my girls are beautiful.' Clay stated. Amy opened her eyes again and saw his face. They smiled at each other, saying I love you without any words.

'You're Dad was right.' Clay said.

'What was he right about?' Amy asked, and closed her eyes again. She just couldn't seem to keep them open.

'He told me once that if I ever was lucky enough to have a daughter, I would know that no man would ever be good enough for my little girl.' Clay smiled a little at the memory. Those were not his exact words, but close enough for a moment like this. 'I will do everything I can to be a good father to her, Amy.' Clay promised, swallowing past the lump that had formed in his throat. From the bottom of his heart he meant it. He would go out and make the world a better place for his family, or give up his life to protect them. His girls, his family. He was the luckiest man in the world.

'I love you so much.' He whispered, not know what else to say.

Amy's smile was fainter now; she was losing the battle to stay awake. 'I love you too.' She whispered back.

Clay leaned over to gently kiss her again. 'I will go check on our daughter, and let you get some rest.' He said, but she did not hear him, she was asleep.

Clay left the recovery room and followed directions to the nursery. The nurse there put a wrist band on him, so he could be identified and allowed to come in and hold his new baby daughter. It is another reminder of the need for safety and protection in an unpredictable world. He made a mental note that his work can help make the world a better place for his little girl, but he also vowed to be beside her, whenever she needed him.

The nurse sat him down in the biggest wooden rocking chair he had ever seen, then she brought over the little cart with the clear box on top which held his baby girl. She picked her up, and placed her into Clay's hands. She was so small, he could just about hold all of her in his hands alone, but he brought her in close to his chest. She looked up at him with the biggest bluest eyes he had ever seen, staring at his face as if she would memorize it. He remembered reading that new born infants were not very alert usually, and could not see very well, but his daughter seemed to be the exception as she stared into his face.

'Hi.' He said, 'I'm your father.' He paused. 'And I already love you so much.' His voice caught here and he had to stop a moment.

'I didn't get a chance to tell you before, but your name is Claudia Porter Webb, after both of your grandmothers.' The baby blinked at this. 'It's a nice name, we thought. At least you get two pretty nice family names, not 4 names like I did.'

Father and daughter examined each other, then she yawned, her little pink bow of a mouth stretching up, and she closed her eyes, and fell asleep. Clay sat back and made himself comfortable, and began gently rocking, it seemed the natural thing to do. Everything was going to be all right now. Everything was right in his world.

THE END

This may not be the end of the Clay and Amy story. Let me know what you think.