As Denny Duquette strolled along the corridors of the hospital with a paranormal grin on his face he felt like a million bucks; He had a wife that he adored more than life itself, who had made him into a father, which was something that he thought he would never see. He'd long ago convinced himself amidst of his sickness that he wouldn't see thirty----and yet, here he was, happier than he'd ever been.

In one hand he held a bouquet of fresh roses, one for each month that he and Izzy had been married and in the other he held a colorful gift bag that contained a picture frame that he had bought to put the first picture of the baby in. As he rounded the corner to the room, his heart skipped a beat. He felt tears welling up in his eyes as he watched Izzy breast feed their daughter.

"Hello, darlin." He said softly, as he watched the peaceful, loving face of his wife as she cradled their bundle of joy in her arms protectively.

She looked up at him, a similar look of happiness on her face. She looked angelic instead of what she actually was, which was dead tired. Their eyes met and clung, both mutely thanking the other for the greatest gift that either one of them had given or received. "Hi there." She greeted. "I see that you got something other than food."

He came further into the room, setting the bag down on the floor and set the roses beside her than leaned over and gave her a kiss. "I saw these in the gift shop and I wanted to get them for you." He said, a wistful look on his face. He gently traced a fingertip down the side of the baby's face. "She's so beautiful." He said in awe. "Looks just like her momma."

"And I bet she'll have the heart of her daddy." Izzy replied, noting the almost sad expression that she saw on her husband's face. "Honey, what's the face for?"

"What face?"

"That face." She said, reaching over and clasping her hand with his. "You look all melancholy."

"Do I?"

"You look almost sad."

"I'm far from sad." He answered, avoiding her eyes as he gazed down at the bed. "I just can't believe that we're parents." He admitted. "I can't believe that I've lived long enough to reproduce myself."

"Are you getting scared?" She asked quietly, holding his hand tighter. "Are you sorry that----"

He looked up and shook his head vehemently. "No—Never! Don't ever get that idea, woman!" He leaned over and kissed her again with the fervor of a man desperate for her to understand. "I love you, Izzy and I love her so much it almost hurts."

"So why are you sad?" She asked as she removed the baby from her breast and prepared to burp her. Denny reached over and grabbed the spit cloth and put it over his shoulder. "May I?" He asked, holding out his arms.

"You don't have to ask, silly man." She admonished, trying to gain some lightness to the conversation as she grinned at him. "She's your's too you know."

He took her gently and began rubbing slow circles on her back, the same sad look on his face. "Iz—" He began, a lump forming in his throat. "I'm not sad...I'm just overwhelmed at the fact that she's ours—your's and mine." He looked down at the baby for a minute , a tear running over his lid and down his cheek.

"Oh, honey, don't cry." She said, feeling the beginning of tears herself. "I didn't mean to make you feel bad."

"Do you know what you have done for me?" He asked.

"What do you mean?"

"You've taken me to a place that I've never been."

"And where is that?"

"Here." He nodded down and grinned as he heard a small burp. "You've given me so much and I don't know how I can ever make it up to you."

Her eyes widened. "Make what up to me?"

"Her. This life." He answered. "This love."

"You don't have to make anything up to me, honey. I love you. There's nothing to make up for."

"You don't understand." He continued. "I just want to you to know how much this means to me—that making me a husband and father means the world to me. I didn't think that I'd even live...and you gave me life...you gave me the moon and the stars and everything in between."

A tear slipped down her cheek as she listened to his beautiful words. "Oh, Denny, it's you who gave me life." She whispered, holding out her arms so that he would come closer, which he did. "You made me alive in a way that I've never been before and you loved me when I never thought that I'd find the kind of love I'd been dreaming about my whole life." She reached over and rubbed her baby's small rump. "As for her, she's a gift that we gave each other. The two of you are what I will live for every day for the rest of my life."

"I love you." He whispered. "I love you so much it would kill me to ever let you go."

"I love you too. And you won't ever have to let me go." She replied, her face inches from his. "I won't let you let me go."

After a few more kisses and hugs and happy sighs, Izzy picked up a baby name book that was sitting on the bed beside her and held it up in front of him. Names were the one thing that neither of them could agree on. If she liked it he hated it; and if he loved it she absolutely, without a doubt, detested it. It had been that way for so long that they were both sure that this girl wasn't going to have a name.

"I've been thinking..." She began.

"No way." He cut her off before she could say it. "Her name cannot be 'Rain'. I'm sorry but I have to draw the line and no matter what you promise me it isn't gonna happen, babe."

"As I was trying to say..." She gave him a pointed look. "I found the perfect name."

He raised his eyebrows. "Oh really?"

She looked smugly pleased with herself. "Uh, huh."

"And what would it be?"

"Can you keep an open mind?"

He half groaned and looked down at the, now, sleeping baby cradled in his arms. "Don't worry." He said to the baby. "I won't let her name you something crazy."

"Denny!"

"What?" He looked up. "I know that it's probably some freaky name that we've discussed before and I'm just letting my baby girl now that she's got someone with sense in her corner." He laughed in his slow, easy way.

Izzy was not amused. "Like the name you picked for her wasn't freaky?"

"It wasn't!"

"Ramona?"

"What's wrong with Ramona?" He shot back.

"It was the name of my fourth grade teacher and she was the meanest woman alive!"

"That doesn't make the name bad, honey." He corrected. "It just means that you didn't like your teacher."

"No, it means that you don't pick good names."

"What?" He said again. "I beg to differ...but anyway...what's the name?"

She looked him strait in the eye and smiled, that soft, tender smile that was reserved only for him. "Cordelia." She said.

He opened his mouth to speak but she cut him off. "Do you want to know why I picked that name?"

"Okay, but before you do shouldn't you know what I think?" He asked.

"No." She answered, cupping his cheek with her hand. "Just listen."

"Alright."

She took a deep breath and she bit down on her lower lip. "Do you remember what brought you to me?"

"As if I could forget."

"Just hear me out." She continued. "It was your heart. There was no other reason for us to meet. It was your heart that lead you to me. And it was your heart that made me fall for you. It was your heart that made me love you."

He smiled. "And what does that have to do with anything?"

"Cordelia means 'heart'." She said softly, watching the emotion play over his face, his eyes, his lips. "You gave me your heart and you gave her to me and I think it's the perfect name."

He was so full of emotion he couldn't speak for a moment, and he sat blinking back the tears.

"What do you think?" She asked, rubbing her thumb along the stubble of his cheek.

"I think that I love you more now than I did ten minutes ago." He said passionately. "I think I am the luckiest man in the entire world...and I think that Cordelia is a perfect name."

Before she could speak, the door to the room opened and in came Derek and Meredith, minus their brood. "Hey guys!" Meredith cried. "Congratulations!"

Denny and Izzy broke apart and Denny handed the baby back and stood up to shake Derek's hand, which became a big bear hug. "We're so happy for you!" Meredith squealed, giving Denny the next hug and then on to Izzy.

"What did you name her?" Derek asked, coming toward the bed to inspect the new edition.

"We've decided on Cordelia." Izzy answered, handing the baby over to Meredith carefully.

"Oh, that's nice!"

Derek nodded. "No middle name yet?"

"Not yet." Izzy answered. "We've just decided on the first name. Who know's how long It'll be before we agree on a second one."

"Isobelle." Denny said.

She looked up at him. "What?"

"Her middle name should be Isobelle."

"Are you serious?" She asked.

"I want it to be Isobelle."

Derek nodded. "It does sound good."

Izzy grinned, pleased that he would be so adamant about it. "Okay. Isobelle it is then."

"Welcome to the world, Cordelia Isobelle Duquette." Meredith whispered, leaning down to give her a kiss.