A/N: Thanks for all the wonderful reviews, they are greatly appreciated, I love the feedback. Here's the next update to Proverbial Onion, although the name doens't fit the story anymore really. But please as always read and review, let me know what you think.

Chapter 15: My miracle munchkin

Hours passed, the first 24 hours were behind them now and most importantly Eryn was still with them. Yet with every step forward they took it seemed almost as if they were knock back once again by something else that was unforeseen. When they said that infants could turn south on a dime, they weren't joking. They would get her oxygenating better only to have her develop an arrhythmia. They would get that balanced out and then they would run into fluid overload. The fluid overload would cause an electrolyte imbalance throwing her rhythm back off again. They would sail smoothly for 20 minutes and her pressure would crash. The urologist was called in to help with the kidney trouble they were facing. Abby spent more time pacing during that first 24 hours than she had the entire time she had been there.

This was an emotional rollercoaster, ups and down, being blindsided into thinking that everything was okay to get your hopes up that everything was okay just to have the rug yanked out from underneath you five minutes later. Abby had the willpower to survive this; she just needed Eryn to have the will to survive the ride.

They were well into the next 24 hour period trying to get to the 48 hour mark so that things would look even better, putting the odds more into their favor. Abby didn't leave the NICU as the hour grew later and later and the clock passed midnight. She now sat glued to the chair the one that she had been glued to once things started to settle down. Eryn had not had anything that resembled a crisis now for almost 2 hours. Which Abby was more than thankful for, each minute that passed where the baby before her wasn't setting off an alarm sending nurses and doctors scrambling for solutions was one more that she could be thankful for.

She curled her legs under her the best that she could with out falling off the stool that she was perched on, chairs, well the NICU didn't have real chairs they had this stools that were high enough that you could see into the baby warmers but if you weren't careful getting into them to sit could be quite the challenge and Dr. Winters had laughed at poor Abby more than once, not to be mean but to break the tension. He had even walked by picked her up and sat her on the stool rather than watch her struggled to do the combined leap/jump with out in rolling away from you approach.

"Good morning Abby." He said as he approached the baby once more to do a short bit of rounds before going and catching his much needed cat nap before one of his many charges decided that he didn't need it. "She's doing good." He told her as he examined the baby. "You should get some sleep."

"I'd like to stay longer." Abby answered not even making an attempt to move.

"I know." He said amazed at the dedication she had for sitting there with her child. "But you know wearing yourself…

"out isn't going to do anyone any good least of all Eryn." She finished the sentence for him, "I know the story doc. I'll lay down in a little bit, besides you snore."

He laughed at that one, "okay but you have to lay down soon." He said as he walked away, "promise?"

"Promise," Abby said to his retreating form, making a promise she hoped she could keep. Her head floated down not towards the counter where the nurses wrote chart notes, her chin resting on her crossed arms laying so that she could still see Eryn but so that she was in essence taking a cat nap with both eyes open.

"That's to freaky." Carter said as he walked up behind her wrapping her arms around her small waist. "How can anyone sleep with their eyes open?"

"Talent." She replied, "what are you doing up here, I thought you'd either be working or that they would have you hog tied down to a bed to sleep."

"Nah, nothing can keep my away from my two favorite women." He said kissing the top of her head now, "granted Susan was really trying."

"I see that you have both your arms and legs so you didn't have to gnaw anything off to get away." She said, "Susan must not have been trying very hard."

Carter let out a soft laugh, "you could say that. How you doing, you look exhausted why don't you go and lay down."

"You're the second person who has told me that in the half hour." Abby replied back to him. "I'm fine I was resting."

"Let's go get you some hot tea." Carter said, "I know there's some in the lounge up here so we won't have to go very far. I'm sure that Rebecca won't mind watching Eryn for us."

"I don't know John." Abby said reluctant to leave.

"Go on Miss Abby." Rebecca said as she crossed the room, "I'm right here and I'll send someone if needs be."

Abby looked at Carter and then at Rebecca knowing she had just been double teamed and the answer no was not going to be taken from either one of them right now. "Okay," she said throwing her arms up in the air a little bit, "you two are evil ya know that?"

"That we are, now go on get some tea," Rebecca said looking at Carter and giving him a smile, he often snuck in there while Abby was sleeping but she wasn't going to be the one to reveal his little secrete. That baby girl had her daddy wrapped around her finger already.

"I'm going," Abby said giving the both looks, "come on." She hopped down off the stool and wrapped an arm around Carter as the headed out of the NICU. "How's things in the ER?"

"Slowing down I think." Carter answered her as the walked along. He pushed the door open to the lounge for her before guiding her inside. He filled up a cup with hot water and dipped the tea bag into it as he filled up a coffee cup for himself. "Let's get some air."

"You said lounge." Abby protested.

"Yeah, I did and we are here, come on let's get some air." He handed her the tea and slipped his arm back around her. Amid Abby's protests he continued to lead her up to the roof so that they could slip outside in the quiet of the early morning and enjoy some quiet time. Knowing that she didn't want to be away from the baby for long, he'd make this a short trip but he knew that staying inside all the time wasn't good for her either.

She stood there looking out over the city skyline sipping at her drink. "Peaceful up here right now." She said ever so quietly almost afraid to shatter the serenity with her voice.

"That it is." He said pulling her close to him just holding onto her and savoring the moment. "I thought you wouldn't mind five minutes of down time." He let go of her and handed over the smokes that he had hidden in his pocket.

She took one from him, "I shouldn't be doing this."

"I know," he smiled softly at her, "but enjoy it while you can." He said, "once Eryn's home you won't be sneaking outside for anything." He grinned at her, knowing that she hadn't the entire time she was pregnant, but stress made bad habits come back fairly quickly, and out of all the ones that she could have picked up, this one the lesser of the evils.

"Once she's home it won't be so stressful." Abby said.

"Oh no that's when all the stress really begins." He said, "you and me we will have 24 hour diaper duty." Thinking of the future that they were going to have right now brought nothing but a smile to his face and he hoped that in doing the same she would feel better about things. "I know it's hard right now to picture with everything, but soon it's going to be just the three of us." His glanced moved from looking over the city to looking at Abby. "Diapers, late night feedings, walking, talking, school, boyfriends, broken hearts." He grinned a little more now, "boyfriends, then we really hit the stress."

"No one good enough for Daddy's little girl." Abby replied gently poking him in the side.

"You got it." He said smiling down at her hugging her once more close to him. "In the blink of an eye she'll be all grown up. I know it's not like we are home and can do things like we thought but she's still my miracle girl no matter what."

"That she is." Abby said, "I feel the same way. I believe…" she said, "I have to believe that everything is going to be okay, otherwise I would go nuts in there."

"I know, I think the same way." He kissed the top of her head again, "and it all will be. She's getting stronger every hour, a little better in her own baby steps way. I know that it seems like we are on this never-ending road that just keeps going uphill, soon we'll level out and it will be smoother sailing. We can enjoy the parenthood that we have right now cause we'll never get it back again."

"You are more right than I ever think you have been." She said holding onto him now as the two of them watched the sun begin to rise over Chicago. Things would get better it was hope and faith that would get them through this, while at times they might have both felt completely alone, they would always have each other.