A/N: Okay fast update cause where I left off I felt like I was being mean. So here's another chapter thanks for all the reviews they make writing this one more fun when I know that people are reading it and enjoying it.

Chapter 8: Tears of Joy

Abby managed to drift off to sleep now that the pain was not there anymore. Okay she now could understand why women loved what they called the epidural man. She also knew that having a baby could at times be a very long process. She woke up and glanced up at the clock in the now darkened room, one of the nurses must have turned the lights off when they passed by, it was a little after 6 am. Carter was sleeping in the chair still and looked very content and peaceful.

She smiled over at him, soon there would be three of them and the time when they were along together would be over, but it would be the start of a new chapter in their lives and Abby was looking forward now to seeing her baby more than ever since the time seemed to be so close.

The nagging fear that she had been able to push to the back of her mind was creeping forward a little more now, while she wanted to hold her baby it would be leaving the safety of her womb and coming into the harsh world. Inside of her she knew that the baby was safe and protected at all time, once he or she was born it would be a whole different story and so much would be out of her control.

She watched as Carter started to stir now on the chair, dear lord he was mighty close to the edge of that thing, he was going to fall off she just knew it. If she said something, her voice might startle him sending him tumbling to the floor, if she didn't say anything he might go tumbling to the floor anyway. Tough call that she was going to have to make. To fall or not to fall that was the question and there was only one way to find out the answer.

"John," She called softly at first with no response from Carter, "John!"

"What, what I'm up…" and there he went. Abby tried her damnedest not to laugh from the look on his face as he hit the floor but she erupted into giggles, which broke some of the worry that she was feeling, for laughter was always the best cure.

"I was trying to keep you from falling." She said, "you were sleeping so close to the edge that I was afraid either way you were going down."

Carter looked up at her leaning somewhat over the edge to look down at him, a smile on her face, "thanks… I think."

"You're welcome."

"How are you feeling?"

"About as well as I can be feeling. What ever is in that line is some good stuff." She replied back to him.

"Glad to hear that." He said, he didn't want her to be in pain and had watched plenty of women attempt to go through childbirth without pain medications, which for some worked but he was glad she had opted for the less painful route. "I'm going to grab a cup of coffee do you need anything?"

"Nope," she said, "wait maybe I do." She looked at him.

"What?"

"Uh do you think you could help me up a little so that I am sitting up on the bed a little higher?"

That was a pretty odd request, "sure." He said as he moved over to help her.

"Cause," she said as he helped to scoot her up the bed, "I can't feel my legs anymore."

Carter laughed, "well at least we know that the epidural is doing it's job then."

Abby laughed a little at that as she reached for the remote to the TV the contractions were starting to get a lot more frequent and she was starting to feel them a little more, "yeah at least it is for now."

"Be back in a couple of minutes." Carter said fairly confident about leaving her alone in the room right now, she seemed to be doing okay and when he caught a peak at the fetal monitor the contractions were regular but still about five minutes apart.

"Okay." She said to his retreating form. Right now she wasn't feeling to bad but something inside told her that, that wasn't going to last too much longer.

As the morning slowly ticked by Abby's contractions became closer and closer together and at 9:30 she finally had it ten and it was time to get this little one out. Carter was on her right side holding her hand now as she could feel the pressure.

"That's it Abby, bear down come on honey push." He said, "two, three, four, five…" He counted, "that's it, seven, eight, nine, and ten."

He said ten and she about fell back into the bed, it hurt now and she was getting tired from all of this.

"That's it Abby baby's coming you can do it."

All the cheering and coaching from inside the room was getting on her nerves but she knew she was so close she couldn't just give up, although she really wanted to just stop and take a nap. "You do it then."

"Alright Abby here comes another one, push."

She was back up in that hunched over position giving it everything that she had again. But she was running low on everything she had and didn't know how much longer she could keep this up.

"You're doing good baby." Carter said.

"Just shut up." Abby snapped looking right at him. "You are not helping so help me god John Carter we are never, do you hear me never doing this again."

"Push Abby," Dr. Stevens said from the end of the bed trying to refocus Abby and keep her from killing Carter. "You're almost there, we've got baby fuzz."

"What the hell do you mean baby fuzz?" Abby grunted as she tried to push and talk at the same time, making both of them fairly ineffective.

"Well we have light blonde baby hair here."

"Great where did the blonde come from?" She said as she pushed again with all her might.

"Stop hold on don't push."

Not the order that Abby wanted to hear right now cause it felt like she was freaking on fire. "Don't push what the?"

The doctor made quick work of what she needed to do, "okay now Abby."

This was just way to much as Abby gave it one last go for. If that child wasn't out on this one, she was quitting. As she finished that though the sound of an infant's cries filled the room. And Abby dropped back onto the bed.

"Congrats mom, dad, we have a beautiful baby girl." She reached up laying the newborn infant of a blanket that was spread out over Abby wrapping the infant and making sure that Abby had her.

It was right there and then that Abby started to cry, giant tears of joy as she looked down at the newborn baby that she had in her arms. This was their daughter she was holding onto. She had never felt such love in her heart as she did right then and there.

She looked up at Carter then down again at the baby girl. "Oh my god she's perfect." Abby looked and counted the ten little fingers and ten little toes, gently kissing each little hand.

Carter had leaned over and kissed the top of Abby's head, "she sure is, looks just like you."

It wasn't more than a minute later that they took the baby from Abby, just to give her the once over they reassured her and get a weight and measurements. Then they handed her back. Abby was now holding onto a little one who wasn't covered in a white film.

"You can hold her for a minute mom and then dad can go with us and well take her up to the NICU."

Hearing that about broke Abby's heart. By looking at her you couldn't tell that there was anything wrong with her. She looked like any other newborn that Abby had helped bring into the world.

She held onto her darling daughter, keeping her close as she fought now not to cry. The time went to fast for her and before she knew it they wanted to take her upstairs.

"Mommy loves you Eryn." Abby said as she kissed the baby's forehead again before handing her over to John. Several weeks ago they had each written down five names that they liked and put them in one of Abby's coffee mugs. Neither of them really wanted to name the baby after someone in the family and it was a solution to their problem. Then they drew out two names one for the first name and one for the second name. The first one they drew was Eryn, of course Abby's pick and the second was Elizabeth, and Carter had picked that one.

And at 9:52 on February 25th, Eryn Elizabeth Carter joined the world weighing in at 5 pounds 5 oz and at whole 17 inches long. She was their little girl. Abby watched as Carter gently held Eryn close to him and headed the long walk up to the NICU, Abby knew that she'd be able to go up there in a little while to be with her, but she couldn't help but cry as she watched her newborn daughter head with Carter for the NICU, the place where they took the sickest of babies to care for when they were born.