Disclaimer: see first chapter

A/N: Sara is at 34 weeks by this chapter

Sara groaned as she very slowly lowered herself to the couch. "I'm going to be pregnant forever," she grumbled.

"I offered to help, but you didn't want to," Nick replied, waggling his eyebrows suggestively as he settled down next to her. "Hey, it's a valid way to try and induce labor. Granted there are a few more weeks before we have to worry about that, but I'm always up for practicing…"

Sara rolled her eyes as she reached over to smack him on the arm. But as Nick pulled her towards him and flipped on the television, she began to feel pangs of guilt. Over the past couple of weeks, Sara had only gotten bigger and more irritable. It was awkward for her to move around much, and she longed for the days when she would be able to tie her own shoes again. Plus, as much as she would deny it to Nick, Catherine, and anyone else who asked, she was becoming very anxious about giving birth. She could read books, watch videos, and listen to Catherine and her doctor talk about it, but Sara realized that no second hand account was going to prepare her for the experience. Nick promised early on in her pregnancy to be her Lamaze coach, and it comforted her somewhat to know that he would be there, but she was still anxious.

So now she was stuck between being sick of being pregnant, and being terrified of giving birth; that combination served to make her particularly irritable to all around her, and she knew that Nick got the worst of it. He had slowly been moving things from his house to her new house and trying to get everything settled before the baby arrived. They had never really discussed what the next step in their relationship was going to be, but Sara figured that Nick was just giving her time until after the baby was born. Overall, he had been great, as usual, not pushing anything, and Sara had been feeling guilty about the way she was treating him.

"Nick?"

"Yeah babe?" he answered, obviously distracted by the Rangers game he had finally settled on.

"It's not that I don't want to…"

"Don't want to what?" His gaze had yet to leave the television.

Sara was becoming irritated. Here she was trying to explain, and he wasn't even paying attention. "Nick…"

He finally tore his eyes away from the television and looked at her. Noticing the look on her face, he smiled sheepishly and leaned over to kiss her.

"I'm sorry, I'm listening now, promise."

Sara sighed and rested her head on his shoulder as he played with the ends of her hair. "I said, it's not that I don't want to…it's just that when it happens, I mean, when we…I want it to be good, I don't want to be the size of Russia," she admitted, sighing in frustration.

"Baby, I was just teasing you before. First off, I have no doubt that it will be good, whenever it happens, and secondly, you are not the size of Russia," Nick replied, pulling her closer and planting a quick kiss to her temple.

"I'm huge, and my feet are swollen, and my back hurts, I've got heartburn all the time…I want to feel sexy, not like a complete mess." By the time Sara reached the end of her tirade, she was sniffling despite herself.

Nick wrapped both arms around her, pulling her into his embrace. "Hey, hey, there's no rush on this, okay? I'm not gonna lie, and say I don't want to make love to you, but I want you to be comfortable, and relaxed when we do. Now, I'm sure we could find ways around this," he added, placing a hand on her bulging abdomen and eliciting a small smile from Sara, "but I want you to thoroughly enjoy the experience…I can wait."

Sara was letting her insecurities get the best of her. "Nick, it's just that…it could be awhile. I mean, I've still got six weeks to go, and then it's at least another six weeks after that…"

"Hey," Nick replied firmly, "what part of 'not going anywhere' can't penetrate that thick skull of yours, huh?" He punctuated his statement by placing a kiss on the top of her head.

"But it's not fair to you…" she protested weakly.

"Baby, I've gone five years and managed not to ravage you. I think I can't wait another few months, hard as it might be. Now, if she turns three and we're still not having sex, we may have to revisit the issue," Nick teased, trying to relieve the tension. Sara cracked a smile as Nick's hand absentmindedly traveled across her abdomen. The baby had been active for the past several hours, and Sara could feel her kicking against Nick's hand. Sara settled in, closing her eyes; sometimes she thought that Nick could spend hours with his hand against her abdomen, coaxing the baby to kick for him.

A sharp pain caused Sara to gasp and suck in a breath, her hand immediately going to abdomen. Nick looked up at her with concerned eyes. "What's wrong?"

Sara took a few seconds to catch her breath, placing her hand on top of his; she could tell he was starting to freak out. "No, it's okay…nothing like a heel in the ribs. Knocked the wind right out of me."

Nick looked her over, and Sara knew he was trying to figure out if she was telling the truth. "Nick, trust me, when I go into labor, you'll know. She's just a little active right now."

"You're sure you feel okay? You look pretty tired…"

She rolled her eyes. "I'm eight and a half months pregnant…of course I'm tired. But I swear that nothing's wrong."

Nick looked doubtful. "I could call in tonight, stay home with you…" Last week, Grissom had strongly suggested that Sara use some of her banked vacation time in order to get some rest and prepare for the arrival of the baby. It had become so awkward for Sara to move around the lab, that she had actually agreed without fighting Nick and Grissom on it.

"No you can't, Catherine's off tonight," she reminded him. "And we're going shopping for some last minute stuff tonight, so you don't have to worry." One perk of living in Vegas was being able to shop for almost anything past midnight. Sara never thought she would be thankful for twenty four hour superstores.

"Yeah right," Nick scoffed affectionately, tucking an errant piece of hair behind her ear.

"I'll always worry about you…just don't overdo it okay?"

Sara nodded and kissed him gently. "I love you," she whispered softly, trailing her fingertips across the sides of his face.

Nick grinned back at her. "I love you too." He leaned down, placing a kiss on her abdomen. "And I love you too, little one. But no more kicking Mommy in the ribs, okay?"

He stood up, stretching, and kissed Sara one more time. "I'll call you on my break. And if you start not feeling well, or…well, just call me, okay?"

"I will," she promised, trying to adjust herself on the couch now that Nick was gone. She heard the door shut, and then lock behind Nick.

"What do you say we go figure out what we need before Aunt Catherine gets here?" she asked out loud, trying to push herself up off of the couch. Many attempts later, she was on her feet, albeit a little unsteady with the change in her center of gravity.

She was on her way back to the nursery when she heard the knock on the door. Sara knew she was a sight to be laughed at, turning around in the narrow hallway and waddling back to the front of the house.

Catherine greeted her at the door. "Wow, that was faster than I expected."

Sara glared. "Funny. Let me just grab my bag, and we can go." She turned around, realizing that she'd made so many lists over the past few weeks, that she could just use those to get what she needed. She grabbed her purse and was heading back for the door, when a sudden tightness in her abdomen stopped her cold. She couldn't exactly say it was painful, but it was definitely an uncomfortable sensation. It didn't help, that right at that moment, she felt another heel dig into her side, causing her to take in another sharp breath

Catherine noticed the bewildered, pained expression on her face and crossed the room in two steps, a feat for her small frame.

"I, uh…I just need a minute. Maybe I should sit down…" Catherine helped her over to the couch, where Sara sank down as fast as she could.

"Okay Sara, where does it hurt? How do you feel?" Catherine asked, trying to keep her voice calm.

"I don't know how it feels exactly, but it doesn't…oh wait, yes it does," Sara replied, gritting her teeth. Now it definitely hurt.

"I think we should get you to the hospital."

"No, it'll pass." Sara's voice had an edge of panic to it. "Just give me a min…" She trailed off as her abdomen tightened again.

"Sara, I think you're having contractions. We need to get to the hospital, okay." The tone of Catherine's voice told Sara it was not a question.

Sara was desperately trying not to cry. "But I've still got six more weeks."

"I know," Catherine replied gently, "that's why we're gonna get it checked out."

Nick came barreling into the hospital room, causing Sara to open her eyes in surprise.

"How are…what…are you okay?" he gasped, striding to the bed and cupping the side of her face with his hand.

"Nick, calm down. I'm okay…we're okay. Where's Catherine?"

Nick sounded completely breathless. "She's out with Warrick. Sara, what the hell happened. You said you were feeling okay."

"I thought I was…I swear, I thought it was just the baby being active. When Catherine came over, I started to feel a little uncomfortable, like a tight feeling, and then I had this pain…I was having some contractions…"

"Contractions? Did the doctors stop them?"

Sara grabbed his hand. He was still in full on panic mode, and she had to diffuse the situation. "Braxton Hick's contractions," she corrected. "The doctor says they are completely normal at this point."

"But they aren't supposed to hurt, right? Are they sure you're not in labor? I want to talk to the doctor…"

A knock at the door interrupted Nick's near panic attack. Looking up, Sara noticed the doctor that had examined her earlier, Dr. Manzanar, standing in the doorway. She was a slight woman, mid-forties, with a warm smile and a friendly face. She had definitely been able to calm Sara with her demeanor when Sara was brought into the hospital, and Sara had to admit she had good timing, showing up right when Nick started to panic. The doctor shot both of them a smile before consulting Sara's chart and stepping through the doorway. Nick sunk down into the chair next to Sara's bed, still grasping her hand, and looked up at the doctor anxiously.

"How are you feeling now, Sara?" Dr. Manzanar asked, coming around the bed to check Sara's pulse.

"Better now…I haven't felt any of the contractions in awhile."

The doctor let go of Sara's wrist and jotted something down on the chart. "That's good."

"Doctor, what happened? Is everything alright?" Nick asked, the nervousness evident in his voice.

"Your wife and the baby are just fine." Neither Nick or Sara corrected the doctor as Nick breathed a huge sigh of relief. "Sara was experiencing some Braxton Hicks contractions. They are perfectly normal at this point in pregnancy. The contractions are just her body's way of getting ready for labor, though sometimes they can be caused by dehydration, so we've got her hooked up to an IV. She's not in active labor right now, but we would like to keep her for observation until morning."

Nick had visibly relaxed as Dr. Manzanar explained what had happened. Sara watched his brow un-furrow, and the death grip he held on her hand loosened. She had already heard the explanation, and while she wasn't happy about staying overnight for observation, she supposed it was better than the alternative.

"Sara, when was your last appointment with your obstetrician?" Dr. Manzanar asked, turning her attention back to the expectant mother.

Sara thought for a moment, and then turned to Nick for confirmation. He held up one finger. "About a week ago."

"And were you dilated at all at that point?" Sara shook her head. "Well, I'm going to note in your chart, that you've dilated one centimeter, and I'd like you to make an appointment to see your regular doctor as soon as possible."

Nick's face began to register panic again, and Sara was feeling a little nervous herself, but Dr. Manzanar clarified. "As I said before, everything looks fine, I'd just like to be on the safe side. It could take you weeks to fully dilate, but I think your doctor would like to see you and assess the situation. Sara nodded and squeezed Nick's hand. "Now, on a scale of one to ten, how would you rate the pain in your abdomen?"

"It's about a one," Sara replied.

"And is it constant or intermittent."

"Intermittent."

"Alright then, that's good. You rated it at a six when you came in, so it seems like you're feeling better, but we'd still like to keep an eye on you for a few hours."

Nick looked perplexed. "I thought I read somewhere that Braxton Hick's contractions aren't supposed to be painful. Are you sure she's not in labor?"

The doctor smiled at Nick. "We're sure. The pain Sara is feeling is from the stretching of the ligaments in her abdomen. When that occurs at the same time as the Braxton Hick's contractions, it can sometimes be mistaken for labor pains. But I assure you that everything is fine. Now, I've got to go check on some other patients, you should get some rest, I'll be back to check on you in a little while."

Nick and Sara mumbled their thanks as Dr. Manzanar exited the room, closing the door behind her. Nick turned his attention to Sara, leaning forward and kissing her knuckles.

"You had me some kind of terrified," he whispered hoarsely, "I saw Catherine on the Caller ID, and then when she said she had to take you to the hospital…all I could think of was, how much I love you, and what if something happened. I don't know what I would do if something happened to either of you…"

"Hey," Sara commanded gently, trying to fight her own tears, "we're not going anywhere either. Everything is okay, we're just a little freaked out because it's so early." Sara's reassurance was just as much for her own benefit, as it was for Nick's. She had been terrified when she thought she was going into labor, knowing that she still had a few weeks before she was full term. Everything Sara had learned about premature labor flew out of her head, and all she had been able to think about was, what if her little girl wasn't ready?

Sara sniffled, causing Nick to rise from his chair and situate himself next to her on the bed, pulling her close to him so she could lay her head against his side. "Let's just hope that next time we're here, we get to come home with a baby…"

"That would be nice," Sara said wistfully, "I don't think I can take anymore false labor." Sara unsuccessfully tried to suppress a yawn; it had been a long night for her. Nick reached out and stroked her hair, lulling her into a more peaceful state.

"Sar?" Nick called out quietly a few minutes later, still stroking her hair. Even in her half asleep state, she couldn't miss the nervousness in his voice.

"Hmmm?" she responded sleepily, trying to open her eyes.

"When Warrick was driving me over here…I kept thinking about how much I love you…"

"So you said…I love you too." She was trying so hard to stay awake.

Nick kissed the top of her head and took a deep breath. "I was wondering, once we get the baby settled at home, if you'd want to…I mean, I'd like to ask you…would you marry me?"

Sara's sharp intake of breath had nothing to do with a heel in her ribs this time. Tears welled in her eyes as Nick continued on.

"I don't want to pressure you into anything, and this definitely wasn't the way I pictured doing this…but I just needed you to know…"

"Yes," she whispered softly, tears spilling down her cheeks. Nick sighed in relief and a huge grin broke out across his face as he dipped his head down to kiss her. They traded gentle kisses for several minutes, until Nick finally pulled back reluctantly.

"You need to get some rest," he explained softly. Sara nodded as Nick resumed stroking her hair. As her eyelids fluttered shut, the last thing she remembered was the feel of Nick's hand on her abdomen, and him whispering the words, "I know we talked about kicking Mommy in the ribs, but now we've got to cover why it's not a good idea…"

Nick could feel how restless Sara was beside him. She was due any day now, and uncomfortable as hell. No matter what position she tried to sleep in, she just couldn't get comfortable for any length of time. He pushed a piece of hair out of her face as she muttered something incoherent in her sleep. Still, Nick couldn't help but smile at the beautiful form lying asleep next to him.

Just as Nick was trying to fall back asleep, a noise next to the bed got his attention. Rolling over, he found three and a half year old Hannah Grace Stokes staring him in the face, clutching the teddy bear that Greg had given her for her first birthday.

"Hi Daddy," she whispered.

"Sweet pea, what are you doing out of bed?"

"Monsters in my room. Sleep wif you and Mommy?" But Hannah had already climbed up on the bed, and was in the process of crawling over Nick so that she could sleep between him and Sara.

It often startled Nick, exactly how much Hannah resembled Sara. She was a chestnut beauty, with wide eyes and a mess of long curls that Sara was forever trying to untangle. She had Sara's spitfire personality too, and her stubbornness was rivaled only by her sweetness. She could throw a tantrum with the best of them, but the second her wide eyes and smile fixated on someone, they were a goner. And she was a complete daddy's girl. Sara often teased Nick about how tightly Hannah had him wrapped around her little finger, to which he usually replied, with a grin, that the same could be said for his dear wife.

Right now, the angel in question had settled between them, digging her feet into Nick's side as she curled up against Sara and picked up a piece of her mother's hair to twirl between her fingers. Her teddy bear had landed up against Nick's pillow as she had climbed over.

"Where are the monsters sweet pea?"

Her voice was solemn. "Under da bed. They scawy, make funny noises."

"Well tomorrow, Daddy will go yell at them, and tell them they can't live in Hannah's room. But now we've gotta be quiet, okay?"

"Mommy and Baby Josh sleepin?"

Nick smiled. "Yeah, Mommy and Baby Josh are sleeping. And Daddy and Hannah should be asleep too."

"When Baby Josh come out?"

"He'll be here soon sweet pea."

"In da mornin?"

Nick chuckled as he leaned over to kiss her goodnight. "No, a little bit longer than that…but he'll be here soon."

"But I want to play with Baby Josh…" Nick knew that if this kept up much longer, then Sara would wake up, and it would be a very long night trying to get them all back to sleep.

"Hannah, Baby Josh won't be able to play with you for awhile. Now, it's time to go to sleep. When you wake up in the morning, you can help Daddy make chocolate chip pancakes, but we've got to go to sleep first."

"Pancakes?" Her voice was still a whisper, but Nick could tell she could barely contain her glee and the prospect of helping out in the kitchen. Hannah may have had Nick wrapped around her finger, but Nick also knew how to successfully distract his daughter.

"Yes, pancakes. But now it's time to close your eyes. Night sweet pea."

"Night Daddy," Hannah whispered, sitting up and planting a sloppy kiss on his cheek before curling back up next to Sara, jamming her feet into Nick's side again. Soon, she was lulling herself to sleep, twirling one of Sara's curls and sucking on her thumb.

Sara listened to all of this while trying to conceal the grin on her face. From the first time Hannah had been placed in Nick's arms, after twelve excruciatingly long hours of labor on Sara's part, he had been absolutely perfect with her. She and Nick had been married a few months later, and almost two and a half years after that, Sara surprised Nick on Father's Day with the news that Hannah was going to get that little sister or brother he had always wanted to give her.

Four years earlier, Sara would have never imagined that she would be lying in bed, her daughter curled up against her, with her husband's hand drifting over to touch her abdomen in his sleep, and another baby on the way. She was definitely uncomfortable, it was difficult to get into any position that wouldn't cause some discomfort, but she couldn't help but smile, thinking of the family that had come to her unexpectedly.

FIN.

A/N: Well folks, that's it. I never expected such a response for this story, and I was a little nervous attempting a multi chaptered fic. I'd like to thank everyone that stuck with me through this, your encouragement and reviews really meant a lot to me!

Claire: Not only have I updated, but I've FINISHED. So someone better get posting!

Sahariah: this is from a couple chapters back, but it was Catherine that was drinking the vodka and tonic, not Sara. Sorry if that wasn't clear.

Bookworm0485: Thanks for the suggestion for the baby's name, but I've had this one picked out pretty much since I started writing the story. I love the name though, and I'd like to use it for another story later on, if you don't mind.