A/N: Thank you SO much for all the amazing reviews! I'm so glad folks are enjoying the story. I'm having fun writing it, imagining Harm and Mac as parents. Such a sweet thought, huh?

As for the TV Guide piece I mentioned in my notes in the last chapter, if anyone would like to see it and doesn't have access to a copy, I scanned it on my computer and can email you the scan. Just email me, my addy is in my profile, and I'll send it to you. It's not long, just one page and most of it is pictures, but it's interesting to read - the wrong kind of interesting, but still...

Chapter 38:

"Hey, baby" said Mac as she wearily awoke to the cries of her newborn. "I guess we fell asleep, didn't we?" She looked over at Harm asleep in the recliner. "And we're not the only ones."

"Hey" said Harm, also awakened by the baby's cries. "She OK?"

"I think she's hungry again" said Mac, "what time is it?"

"3:30" said Harm as he stretched and looked at his watch.

"Oh yeah, she's hungry" said Mac. "Can you take her while I pee real quick, then I'll feed her?"

"Of course" said Harm. "Come here, little one." He took the baby from Mac and held her close. "Hey, shhhh…, don't cry, mommy's gonna feed you in just a minute, I promise."

"I bet she needs her diaper changed, too" called Mac from the bathroom.

"Should we do that before you feed her?" asked Harm, still trying to comfort the baby.

"Yeah, I think so" said Mac. "I'll help you with it in just a sec."

"I can do it" said Harm.

"You sure?" questioned Mac.

"Oh, yeah" said Harm. "Don't forget, our instructor made an example out of me on diaper change night!"

"Yeah, she did, didn't she?" replied Mac. "If you wanna do it, be my guest. Everything's on the shelf by the window."

Harm walked over to the shelf and grabbed the diapers and baby wipes, then carried them and the baby over to the bed.

"OK, sweetie" he said, "daddy hasn't ever done this for real, so go easy on him." He unwrapped the receiving blankets from around her, and pulled a diaper from the package.

"Shhh…. you're fine, you're fine" he said as her cries grew louder. He carefully unfastened the tapes on the diaper she was wearing, and pulled a baby wipe from the container next to him. "This'll no doubt make her happy" he sarcastically said to himself as he noticed how cold it was.

"I'll make this as quick as I can, baby" he said, and in less than 30 seconds, he had the wet diaper off, had her little behind cleaned and the dry diaper on her, taking extra care to fold the front of the diaper down to keep it away from her umbilical cord.

"Well, color me totally impressed!" exclaimed Mac.

"How long have you been standing there?" asked Harm as he wrapped the baby back in her blankets.

"Not long" replied Mac, "but if I didn't know better, I'd swear you'd done that a hundred times before!"

"Really?" asked Harm.

"Yes, really!" said Mac as she took a seat in the rocking chair. "That was just amazing, babe. I'm proud of you."

"Well, thanks, Mac" replied Harm, handing the still crying baby to her. "Does this mean I've got the job?"

"Oh, you bet it does, flyboy!" joked Mac. "Every diaper from now until you go back to work, all yours."

"Great!" laughed Harm. "Oh well, that's what I get for paying such close attention in class."

"Can I come in?" asked Mattie as she peered around the doorway of Mac's room.

"Sure, come join us" said Mac, rocking the baby as she nursed. "You just missed Harm changing a diaper."

"Oh, rats" said Mattie, "I bet it was hilarious, huh?"

"On the contrary" he replied, "Mac says I did a great job with it."

"Seriously?" asked Mattie.

"Seriously" answered Mac, "you never would've guessed it was the first time he'd done it."

"You do realize that makes him the official diaper changer, right?" said Mattie.

"Yes" laughed Mac, "I've already informed him that every diaper that needs changed between now and his return to work is his."

"Ah well" shrugged Harm, "truthfully, I don't mind at all. Hey, are my folks here yet?"

"Oh yeah" said Mattie, "that's actually what I came to tell you. They're in the waiting area down the hall. Their flight was delayed a bit, they got there about 15 minutes ago and they're dying to see you."

"Did you tell them everything?" asked Harm.

"No" said Mattie, "just that the baby was born a few hours ago and everything was fine. I figured you'd wanna tell them all the big stuff, you know, like it's a girl and what her name is, hint, hint!"

Harm laughed. "Well, we haven't decided on her name just yet, but we'll do it soon, I promise."

"You better!" exclaimed Mattie. "You know everyone who comes to visit will ask what her name is, so unless you wanna have to say 'we haven't decided yet' a dozen times, you better decide!"

"Understood, Mats" said Harm. "I'm gonna go talk to mom and Frank" he said to Mac.

"Tell them they can come see her for a few minutes if they'd like to" said Mac.

"Are you sure?" he asked. "I know they'll wait awhile if we ask them to."

"Harm" said Mac, "they just flew across the entire country to see their first grandchild, let them come see her if they want to."

"OK, babe" said Harm. "Need anything before I go?"

"Nope, we're good" replied Mac.

"Alright, I'll be back shortly" said Harm. He walked down the hallway and to the left where the waiting area was, and found his mom and step-dad sitting, literally, on the edge of their seats.

"Harm!" exclaimed Trish as she jumped up to give him a hug.

"Hey mom" he replied, "Frank."

"Hey, son" said Frank, taking his turn with a hug, "or should I say 'hey daddy'?"

Harm smiled. "Yeah, I guess you can say that now, huh?"

"OK, before I die of anticipation" said Trish, "is it a boy or a girl?"

"A girl" said Harm, "and she's just beautiful."

"Oh…" said Trish, trying not to cry, "I have a granddaughter!"

"That's just great, son" said Frank. "How's Mac doing?"

"She's fine" replied Harm, "understandably tired and sore, but she's good. She was just finishing up feeding the baby when I came down here, and she said if you want to come visit for a few minutes, you're welcome to."

"Oh, yes!" exclaimed Trish, "we'd love to see them! We won't stay long, I promise."

"I know, mom" said Harm, "and before you ask what'll probably be your next question, we haven't chosen her name quite yet, but we will soon."

"Oh, Harmon" said his mother, "please tell me you've at least got an idea!"

"We've got several ideas, mom" replied Harm, "we just couldn't agree on which one we liked best before she was born, and we haven't had a chance to talk about it since the birth, that's all."

"OK" she said, "I feel better knowing you've got some ideas."

"Shall we go see her?" asked Harm.

"Lead the way" said Frank. Harm took them around the corner and down the hall.

"We're back" said Harm quietly as they entered Mac's room. Mattie was holding the baby and Mac was laying back in the bed.

"Everything OK, babe?" asked Harm, concerned about why Mac was back in bed.

"Oh yeah" she said, "the nurse just needed to check a few things, so Mattie took the baby for me and once the nurse was done, I decided the bed felt too good to get out of. Hi Trish, Frank!"

"Hi, sweetie" said Trish, walking over to give Mac a careful hug. "How are you?"

"Very tired" said Mac, "but very excited. How was your trip?"

"It was alright" said Trish, "we ended up being in Chicago a little longer than scheduled, but we made it."

"Hi, Mac" said Frank, stepping in to get his hug.

"OK" said Mattie as she carried her baby sister across the room, "who wants to hold her?"

"Go ahead, mom" said Harm.

"Gladly" replied Trish as she took the baby from Mattie's arms into her own.

"Hello, precious" she said, kissing the little girl's nose. "I'm your grandma, yes I am, and I'm going to spoil you completely rotten."

"I think that's an understatement" laughed Harm.

"She's a big girl" said Trish, "what did she weigh?"

"8 pounds, 12 ounces" said Mac, "and believe me I felt every bit of it!"

"How funny" said Trish, "that's exactly what Harm weighed when he was born."

"No kidding?" asked Mac.

"No kidding" replied Trish. "He was 8 pounds, 12 ounces and was 21 inches long."

"Well, she's even bigger than he was then" said Mac, "she's 22 inches long. I told Harm she's got the Rabb height!"

"That she does, indeed" agreed Trish. "Here, grandpa, you wanna take a turn?"

"Of course" replied Frank, "come here, little girl, or rather, big girl…" Trish handed the baby over, but stood close by Frank's side and continued to stare in awe at her new granddaughter.

"What color do you think her eyes will be?" asked Frank.

"Well, I'd think either blue or brown" said Harm, "personally I'm pulling for brown, you know, like her mother's."

"My money's on blue" said Mac, "not that brown eyes are a bad thing, I just think blue eyes are gorgeous."

"Especially Rabb blue eyes" said Trish, looking into those of her son. "I remember when he was born, I hoped he inherit his dad's blue eyes, and sure enough, there they are."

"Mom…" said Harm, both a bit embarrassed and sentimental.

"Well, grandma" said Frank, "it's incredibly late, we best head over to the hotel so everyone can get some rest."

"Yeah, you're right" said Trish. "We'll be back in the morning, actually later this morning I should say, and we'll visit longer then, OK?"

"Sounds great" said Harm, taking his daughter in his arms. "Come here, love."

"G'night, grandma, grandpa" said Mattie, giving them each a hug.

"Goodnight, dear" they replied.

"Thank you for letting us meet the little angel tonight" said Trish to Mac.

"You're welcome" replied Mac, "thank you for coming all the way out here at a moment's notice."

"Oh goodness, we were glad to do it" said Trish, "we're so happy for you both." She went over to where Harm stood with the baby, and leaned down to kiss her once more for the night.

"I'm so proud of you, Harmon" she said. "Your dad…" Her tears interrupted her words.

"I know, mom" said Harm, pulling his mother close with one arm and cradling his daughter with the other.

"Say goodnight, Trish" said Frank, "these folks need their rest and so do we."

"We'll be back later, I promise" said Trish, wiping the tears from her face. They made their exit and left for a few hours sleep at a nearby hotel, though Harm knew his mother was far too excited to sleep much.

"OK, how about we all try and get a little sleep before someone's next feeding?" said Harm.

"Count me in" said Mac. "You want me to take her?"

"No, babe" he replied, "you get comfy and sleep as much as you can. I'll keep her with me."

"Thanks" said Mac. "Let's see, it's 4:30 now, she ate at 3:40, she should sleep for about another hour, maybe a little more."

"When she wakes up" smiled Harm, "you'll be the first one we find."

"I love you" said Mac, pulling her pillow close and snuggling down into it.

"I love you, too" replied Harm. He got into the recliner and carefully laid it back, placing the baby on his chest. He took her little cap off and felt her silky, fine hair against his face. In no time at all, father and daughter were fast asleep.

"I'm gonna grab a quick shower, OK?" asked Harm.

"Sure, go ahead, babe" replied Mac as she rocked the baby. "Then it's my turn. I wanna look as nice as possible for all the visitors we'll be seeing today."

"Same here" said Harm as he dug his toiletry bag from the bottom of the suitcase. "Wow, you really know how to pack a suitcase for having a baby."

"What do you mean?" asked Mac.

"I mean you've got everything we could possibly need in here" said Harm, "bath stuff for both of us, extra clothes, all kinds of things for the baby - you thought of everything."

"Well, I knew the baby would be rooming in with us the whole time we were here" said Mac, "and I also knew I didn't want you to have to keep driving back and forth between here and home, so I made extra sure I had everything we'd need in there."

"You did great" said Harm. "I'll make it quick so you can get in and out before she needs to eat again."

"When you get out" said Mac, "we're talking about her name. I've had about all I can take of calling her 'the baby', 'baby girl', etc… not to mention they brought us the forms for her birth certificate this morning and we still don't know what to put on it."

"Yeah, I know" said Harm. "Think about it while I shower, and we'll decide when I get out."

"Agreed" said Mac. When Harm disappeared into the bathroom, Mac laid the baby on the bed and went to her purse to get out her list of baby names and a pen. She began to go over them, one by one. A few minutes later, she heard the water in the shower turn off, and Harm stepped into the room.

"That felt really good" he said as he stood there clad in jeans and a Polo shirt, rubbing his hair with a towel.

"I'm sure it did" said Mac, "you hadn't showered since before work yesterday morning."

"Yeah" he said, "feels like it'd been a lot longer than that. Working on your name list I presume?"

"Oh, this, yeah" said Mac. "I crossed a few more off, they just didn't seem to fit her."

"Well, go ahead and take your shower before she wakes up" said Harm, running gel through his still damp hair and combing it up "and I'll narrow my list down further. How many are left on yours?"

"Three first and middle combinations" replied Mac.

"OK" said Harm, "I'll get mine down to as close to that as I can, and we'll make a decision before people start showing up." Mac gathered her things from the suitcase and headed for the bathroom while Harm finished dressing. He pulled his name list from his wallet and sat down in the recliner to mull over it for the last time.

"Feel better, babe?" he asked Mac as she emerged from her shower.

"Tons" she replied. "My tummy is already going flat, look how big this shirt is on me. It's weird to only look 6 months pregnant after being so big for so long."

"See, I told you you'd have no problem regaining your figure" smiled Harm.

"Yeah" said Mac, "but this is just because she's not in there anymore. The real challenge will come with the actual weight I need to get rid of before we even think about setting a wedding date."

"You'll do fine, babe" said Harm, "and don't worry about the wedding yet, let's focus on one milestone at a time."

"Good idea" said Mac. "Got your list finished?"

"Yes, ma'am" smiled Harm. "Three first and middle names, all ready for debate."

"We're not in court, Harm" laughed Mac, "we're trying to name our daughter, not send someone to prison."

"Yeah, I know" said Harm. "How do you wanna do this?"

"Let's just swap lists" said Mac, "and we'll read them and get all our objections out of the way, then we'll see what that leaves us."

"Works for me" said Harm, handing Mac his list and taking hers. They read silently for a few moments before Mac spoke up.

"OK, 'Megan' is an absolute no."

"How come" asked Harm.

"Because" replied Mac, "I knew a girl named Megan in high school, and I didn't like her. She was an artist. She had long, red hair and a sickeningly sweet personality, and thought she had a right to go after any guy she wanted, whether he wanted her or not. She went as far as to kiss a guy I was working on dating once, and I wanted to take those red locks of hers and string her up by them! There's no way I can name my daughter that same name."

"Not after all that" agreed Harm. "Consider 'Megan' withdrawn from consideration."

"Thank you" said Mac. "What do you think of my choices? Any issues with any of them?"

"No" replied Harm, "I actually like them all."

"Oh, great" laughed Mac, "that means we still have 5 choices to pick from!"

"Yeah, but I really like this one here" he said, leaning over and pointing to Mac's list.

"What about it do you like so much?" asked Mac.

"Well" he said, "I had that middle name picked for two of my three combinations, no doubt for the same reason as you picked it, but it just goes so well with the first name you picked. I love it."

"Well, is that it then" asked Mac, "do we have a name?"

"I believe we do" said Harm.

The baby began to stir and fuss on the bed.

"I'll get her" said Harm as he put Mac's list down and got up from the recliner. He walked around to the side of the bed, and carefully put one hand underneath the baby's bottom and the other beneath her head. He lifted her up off the bed and held her at eye level, smiling the most loving smile.

"Is it time to eat" he asked her, "miss Ainsley Rose Rabb?" The baby opened her eyes a little bit at the sound of her daddy's voice.

"Yeah, Mac" he said, "it definitely fits her."

"Now see" she said as she got settled in the chair so she could feed the baby, "that wasn't so hard after all!"

"No" said Harm, "but we seem to have an uncanny talent for making simple things incredibly hard." He handed Ainsley to Mac, then sat down at the table and began filling out the forms for her birth certificate.

"When you're done there" he said, "I'll take her so you can look over these and make sure I got everything right."

"Sure" said Mac, "give us a few more minutes."

"Take your time, babe" he said, "I'm gonna go get some coffee, you want anything?"

"Orange juice?" she said.

"Coming right up" said Harm. He kissed Mac's lips and headed for the cafeteria. By the time he returned, Mac had finished feeding Ainsley and had just changed her diaper.

"Here, go see daddy" she said as she handed the baby to Harm.

"Oh, don't you look too cute?" he said as he took the baby in his arms. Mac has dressed her in the little pink sleeper with the kitten on it, the one she'd chosen for their registry and had received at their baby shower.

"Is this all the paperwork, Harm?" she asked as she sat down at the table.

"Yeah" he replied. "I think it's all correct, but I want you to double check." Mac started at the top and carefully read over everything.

Baby's last name: Rabb. First name: Ainsley. Middle name: Rose.

Mother's last name: Mackenzie. First name: Sarah. Middle Name: Catherine. Age: 34

Father's last name: Rabb. First name: Harmon, Jr. Middle name: David. Age: 38

She smiled at the sight of those first few lines. For all they'd been through since their meeting in the White House Rose Garden all those years ago, the life they'd always dreamed of, the child they'd always longed for, was finally a reality.

"What was that for?" asked an amused Harm as Mac walked up and gave him a huge kiss.

"Because I love you" replied Mac.

A/N: Did ya catch the inspiration for the name Mac rejected? I just took the red-head from "Automatic for the People" and made her into someone Mac went to high school with. It'll be a few days before the next chapter is up. I have company coming this weekend, so I won't have any time to work on it, but it's coming as soon as I can get to it!