The early labor had put a scare into Sandra and at her doctor's insistence, sharply curbed her activity.

Rafe and Evelyn had come out for a week after Sandra's stay in the hospital to help out and to make sure that everything was all right. Before they left, they had promised to come back out when Sandra had the baby and then had reluctantly returned to Tennessee.

In the two months after their visit, Danny had kept a closer eye on her and on her doctor's orders made sure to take her for a daily walk to get some exercise. It eased the stitches she had been getting and the last stage of her pregnancy went without any more problems.

Sandra had begun to have labor pains one early August morning, but she also knew that it would be quite awhile before she would have to go to the hospital. By the time she and Danny had gone to bed that night the contractions had become more frequent and they both knew that it was only a matter of time before the baby would finally come.

She didn't know what time it was, but Sandra woke suddenly because she felt a contraction come and it was stronger than the last one she'd had just before bed. As she lay there in the quiet, she could hear Danny's light snoring and knew he was sound asleep. She looked over at her bedside clock and it had been less than an hour since they'd gone to sleep and it was then that her water broke. The baby was on its way.

"Danny?" She whispered as she touched his shoulder.

He didn't stir and she smiled. He'd been working so hard at Wheeler during the day and helping her in the evening that she knew he was exhausted.

"Danny, I'm sorry but you have to wake up." She whispered again. "My water just broke."

That announcement got him to roll over and his eyes were open. "Are you all right?"

"As well as could be expected I guess."

He sat up and ran a hand through his hair as he yawned. "Have you had any more contractions?"

She nodded. "Just before my water broke, I had another one."

Sandra could see that he was trying not to panic. "Is your suitcase packed?"

"It's been packed since June." She couldn't help but smile. "Could you call the doctor and tell him that I've gone into active labor? Tell him they're about forty minutes apart now and ask him what he wants us to do."

He nodded at her as he grabbed his bathrobe from the foot of the bed and pulled it on before he walked out of the bedroom. As she sat up on the edge of the bed and boosted her self up she heard Danny on the telephone, he was already sounding anxious.

It had been a long nine months for her and she was relieved that she was finally going to have their baby. It worried her a little that something would be wrong, with all the problems she had had, but the doctor had tried to assure her that one didn't necessarily have anything to do with the other.

It was in God's Hands now.

Danny put the receiver back down in the cradle and ran a nervous hand through his hair. This was it; the real thing and he needed to be strong for his wife. It didn't matter how nervous he was; she was about to do something pretty amazing.

He took a deep breath and walked back to the bedroom.

Sandra sat on her side of the bed and she already looked tired. As he talked to her he pulled on a pair of dungarees, jammed his feet into a pair of loafers and grabbed his flight jacket out of the closet before he slipped his arms into the sleeves. "The doctor says to go ahead and get to the hospital and he'll meet us there. It's goin' to be awhile but I think with everythin' that's happened he'd be happier if we got there as soon as possible."

"All right. I'm ready to go." She smiled as she stood up with his assistance. "Shouldn't you put a shirt on?" She asked as he picked up the small suitcase that sat just inside the bedroom doorway.

He looked down and all he had on was his skivvy shirt. "Does it really matter?"

She shook her head. "No, I suppose not."

He grinned at her before he kissed her cheek. "Let's go Mama."

"I like the sound of that."

"Me too honey. Let's go." He urged her and he held her hand as they walked out of the bedroom and down the hallway. They reached the front door and Danny heard Sandra sigh. "I'll stay with you as long as I can Sandra."

"I know you will. It's not that though."

"What was the sigh for then?" He asked her.

"I was just thinking that the next time we walk into this house, we'll be parents."

His grin got wider. "I couldn't have done it without you."

"Nor I you. Let's go." She smiled back before she kissed him.

He opened the door and waited for her to walk out ahead of him and closed the door. A light breeze stirred and Danny could hear the surf come in on the beach. It was a beautiful night to become a father.

They got to the hospital in good time and as he promised, Sandra's doctor was there to meet them. A wheelchair waited next to him. "So this is finally it isn't it Sandra." He said with a smile.

"It's about darn time if you ask me." She quipped as Danny helped her out of the car and into the chair.

He laughed. "You're in good spirits too. Let's get you settled and the Captain can take care of all the details."

Sandra looked at him and she looked like she was about to cry.

"What is it honey?" He crouched down next to the chair and took her hand.

"This is really happening isn't it?"

He nodded. "It sure is. I'll call your folks and let them know and then your Mama can decide when she wants to come out."

"Don't forget to call Ev and Rafe. They need to know too."

He stood up with his hand still in hers and kissed her. "Don't worry about any of that Sandra, I promise I'll take care of it. You just concentrate on bringin' that little one into the world."

"I love you Danny."

"It goes without sayin' honey because I know you do." And he watched as she was rolled into the hospital and out of sight. He walked to the desk and the night nurse looked up at him.

"You must be Captain Walker."

"Yes ma'am."

She stood up and smiled before she laid out some paper work in front of him. "I just have a few forms for you to fill out and then you can go down to the Father's Waiting Room."

"Thank you." He smiled back as the nurse guided him through the process.

When he'd signed the last form, he walked down to the waiting room. Deja vu was the first thing that came to his mind as he walked into the empty room. Though he'd missed the birth of his godson, he'd been there with his best friend three other times. The difference was that Sandra had been with him and now he was here because it was his turn to become a father. He wished Rafe were there.

He found a telephone in the corner of the room and picked up the receiver. He dialed Red's number at his quarters and waited for him to pick up. When he finally did, Danny couldn't help but smile. "Red, it's the real thing."