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8...

The waiting was worse than anything. It'd been hours since Marie had first woken up in the middle of the night feeling 'uncomfortable'. But that was nothing new, because for the last month or so there'd been lots of nights where she couldn't sleep because kiddo wasn't being cooperative, or her back was aching, or her mind was racing with worry over the changes that were coming. Except this night, she never did fall back asleep and the uncomfortable feeling quickly elevated into pain. 'Oh man,' I thought. 'This is it. Baby time.' Then we were at the hospital and an overzealous nurse was wheeling Marie away from me while I was pushed into a chair with a bunch of forms and told to simply wait. Wait? My wife was in pain and she was having our baby, and all I was supposed to do was wait? Not bloody likely.

It was probably a good thing my dad showed up right then, followed closely by Marie's mom and dad. At least they kept me distracted. Sure, the fact that Nick was practically following in my steps pacing across the room made me want to strangle him, but it helped knowing I wasn't in this waiting thing alone. I wanted to be in that room with Marie almost as much as I was glad I wasn't. I wanted to be a part of my kid's birth and I really wanted to be there for Marie if she needed me, but I wasn't sure if I could handle her being in pain. The trip from our apartment alone had been gut-wrenching enough, but this... I think women are a lot tougher than men, in some ways at least, or maybe in all ways. Marie was definitely stronger than me.

So we waited and paced the hours away until finally the door pushed open and a doctor in a spotless white coat stepped into the room. "Mr. Micelli?" he asked, studying the faces in the room until his gaze came to rest on me.

I swallowed and stepped towards him. "Yeah?"

"Congratulations! You're a Dad!"

Amid the sudden clamor of the room, I stepped closer to the doctor "I'm a.... You mean she... Really?" My thoughts were jumbled and although this was the news I'd been waiting to hear all day, I couldn't get my head around the idea that I, Tony Micelli, was a father.

"Mother and daughter are doing well. You can go in and see them in a bit if you want." He'd obviously seen lots of fathers like me before.

I grabbed the person standing next to me and danced them across the room, jumping back quickly when I looked up and realized my dance partner was Nick. That's when what the doctor said hit me. "Daughter? Did you say Mother and Daughter?"

Barely holding back the laugh that had formed during my impromptu dance, the doctor nodded. "I did. You've got 7lbs 6oz of a beautiful baby girl.

"A girl? Un huh, you've got it wrong. Marie and me, we're having a boy."

The doctor just smiled and replied, "Well, I'm 99.9% sure I'm right, but why don't you come with me and decide for yourself."

"You mean I can see him?"

"Her, but yeah, this way." He opened the door and gestured into the hall.

She was beautiful. There are no words to describe what I felt when I first saw my baby girl. There was row upon row of red-faced and crying newborns, but the only one that mattered, the only one I had eyes for was my girl. All I needed was one look and the boy I'd been hoping for vanished. Goodbye Sammy, hello Samantha.

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I'd never seen Marie look so pale before, so tired and worn. I cautiously made my way over to her bedside and picked up her hand. She stirred and then blinked awake. "Tony?"

"Yeah Babe, I'm here." I squeezed her hand a little tighter and settled into the chair beside her. She looked up at me with a warm glow in her eyes. "You've seen her?"

"She's perfect, just like you."

She laughed softly. "So you're not mad she's not a he?" Her tone was teasing, but I could sense a hint of worry in there.

"She's perfect." I said again, knowing it was the truth. "Who needs a boy when I've got my girls?"

A contented sigh escaped from her as she snuggled back into the bed. I gently brushed a lock of hair off of her face. "You sleepy?"

She nodded and idly played with my hand. "A little, it's been a day."

"A good day."

"The best." She stared up at me in silence, a sweet smile tracing her lips. I leaned in and kissed her.

"I love ya, Marie."

She pulled me closer and kissed me again before leaning back into the pillows. "Back at ya, Tony."