A/N: Thanks for continuing to read, review and follow! It's very much appreciated. Shout out to AMCGL7 for guessing the milestone! Judging by the spelling of One MILLLLLLION, I'm imagining you doing a Dr. Evil impression! I'm trying to decide which storyline to pursue next to help me hit that one million word mark. I have to be honest with you all, my evil side is itching to get out. This chapter picks up where the last one left off. Hope you enjoy this update!

/

Marissa knocked on the door to the exam room after saying a quick prayer first that Kendall and the baby would be okay.

"Come in."

Marissa stepped inside and found her sister-in-law lying on the exam table with a fetal monitor hooked up to her. Kendall looked slightly dazed and was trying to control her breathing with a nurse doing her best job at coaching her. "Um, hi. What's going on? Is everything alright?"

Dr. Abbott motioned for her to come closer. "Well, it seems that your niece is done waiting and is ready to make her appearance here a little early."

"You mean …"

"Kendall is in labor."

Marissa was at her sister-in-law's side in a heartbeat to take over for the nurse and took one of her hands. She tried to remember what Bianca had done for her less than two months ago. "Alright, Kendall. It's going to be alright, just focus on your breathing. I'm right here. Dr. Abbott, what do you need me to do?"

The doctor looked at the heart monitor that was hooked up to Kendall and could see her heart rate was slowing down, a very good sign. "Keep doing exactly what you're doing. You're doing good. Do you have a way of getting in touch with Zach? We need to let him know his daughter is coming."

"Yeah, I … I do. What about Kendall's cardiologists? They said they were going to be in the delivery room."

"Yes, they did, and we're in luck. Dr. Chambers actually got in earlier and was on her way here for this appointment. Michelle just called both her and Dr. Rivera, and they are both now on their way to the maternity ward. We're headed over there right now ourselves. I have to tell you that it's nice having my office in the hospital."

"Marissa."

"Hey, Kendall. Better?"

"Yeah, just wasn't expecting this today."

"Well, your daughter is a Kane woman after all, and you all love your dramatic entrances."

Kendall was able to laugh. "That we do, and at least you know we come by it honestly."

"Very true. You didn't feel anything earlier?"

"Not really, but once we got here, I started to feel like I was having a contraction. Dr. Abbott says I'm definitely having this little girl today, and she would know."

"Alright. I'll call Zach."

"The boys …"

"Don't worry about them. We'll take care of them. You just worry about taking care of you and my niece. I'll call Zach, Erica, Bianca and Greenlee. Between us, we'll take care of everything else. Got it?"

Kendall nodded. "Got it. I'm so glad you're here."

"Me too." Marissa squeezed her hand.

Dr. Abbott finished making a note on Kendall's chart. "Alright, ladies. Let's go have a baby."

As two of the nurses present began moving Kendall, Marissa started to gather Kendall's belongings. A third nurse assured her that she would get Kendall's clothes over to her. Marissa nodded and slung Kendall's purse over her shoulder while she pulled out her own cellphone to call Zach.

"I'm right behind you, Kendall."

/

As she followed Kendall's gurney down the hospital's corridors, Marissa's call to Zach was answered by an assistant.

"Yes, this is Marissa Tasker-Montgomery. I'm Zach's sister-in-law."

"Yes, ma'am. I recognize your name. If you're looking for him, he's in a meeting right now and can't be disturbed."

"Oh no, I need you to get him for me now. It's regarding his wife."

The assistant had been instructed that if a call had been received regarding either his wife or his sons, he was to get Zach immediately. "I'll get him right now. Please hold."

Less than a minute later, Zach was on the other end of the line.

"Marissa, is Kendall okay?"

"She is, and she's also in labor."

"What?! Labor?"

"Yeah. Dr. Abbott is having her transported over to the maternity ward as we speak. Both Dr. Chambers and Dr. Rivera are meeting us there."

"Good. Good. I'm on my way. Tell Kendall that I love her. And …"

"I'll tell her, and don't worry, I'm not leaving her side. See you soon."

Marissa waited until they were in Kendall's room before calling the others. They all had the same reaction and were out the door and on their way to the hospital as soon as their calls ended.

/

With those calls taken care of, Marissa watched as Dr. Chambers joined them and began to examine Kendall. The redhead took this opportunity and placed a quick call home to Carol

"Hello, Marissa."

"Hi, Carol. Would you mind watching Danny for a little while longer?"

"Of course, I can. Is everything alright?"

"Well, Kendall decided to go into labor while we were at the doctor's office."

"Oh my! Is she alright?"

"Yes, the doctors are examining her now."

"And the baby?"

"The baby is fine too."

"Good. Is there anything else you need me to do?"

"No, not right now. I've called Zach and the others, and they are on their way. I'm not sure how long I'll be here. There's no way I can leave right now, not without someone else here."

"You are exactly where you need to be. I'll take care of Danny and stay as long as you need me to. We'll be fine. Don't worry about us. Just concentrate on Kendall."

"Thank you so much."

"You're welcome. Give Kendall my love."

"I will. I'll call you as soon as I know something."

Kendall glanced at her sister-in-law when she saw Marissa disconnect her latest the call.

"You know you can go if you need to. Zach will be here soon."

Marissa shook her head. "I'm not going anywhere so you can just forget about getting rid of me."

"But Danny …"

"Is fine. Carol said she'll stay as long as I need her. She also wanted me to pass on her love."

Kendall smiled. She was really grateful for the redhead's stubborn streak at this moment. Being a burden was the last thing she wanted to be right now, but she was scared and Marissa being there really did help. Kendall knew she wasn't alone in that minute, and that was extremely comforting to her. "Thank you."

"You're welcome." Marissa patted her sister-in-law's arm, reassuring her.

A contraction hit Kendall, and she inhaled sharply.

Marissa took the brunette's hand. "Squeeze my hand and breathe."

Kendall did as instructed, and soon, the contraction passed. She saw the redhead wince as she released her vice-like grip on her hand. "Sorry."

"Don't worry about it. I just won't be able to play the piano now."

"I didn't know you knew how to play the piano?"

"I don't, but now, I have another reason for it other than me not having the patience to learn how." Marissa grinned.

Kendall chuckled. The redhead's humor was doing its intended job of distracting her. "You … Thank you, and I'm glad I could be of help."

The two glanced up as Dr. Chambers and Dr. Abbott finished their conference and stepped closer to them.

"First of all, are you okay if Marissa hears all of this?"

Kendall nodded. "Yes, I am, and I would like for her stay."

"I'm not going anywhere."

Dr. Abbott nodded. "Alright. Like I informed you in my office, you are definitely in labor. You haven't reached the point of no return, meaning we could stop it. I don't think we should though. You are due in one week, and the plan that we have in place is for you not to go past that due date. So by stopping your labor now, we would only be buying you a week. That week would not change anything for your baby. She is fully developed, and I see no problems with her coming out just a little bit early. You, on the other hand, pose a concern for us if we were to stop your labor. The drugs we would use to stop it would add stress for you."

Dr. Chambers took over since they were now discussing her area of expertise. "As you know having gone through labor before, it is a very stressful time for your body under normal circumstances. You are in an even more unique position because of your heart. It would not be a good idea to add even more at this point, especially when there is no discernable benefit for your baby."

"In short, Dr. Chambers and I agree that it's best for you and the baby to deliver her today via the C-section we've already planned."

"How soon? Can we wait for Zach? I really want him here for this."

"We're getting an OR ready right now, and yes, we can wait for your husband to arrive as long as he doesn't take too long."

"When I called Zach, he was leaving right away so I'm sure he'll be here very soon." Marissa offered.

"Good. Do you have any questions for either of us?"

Kendall asked several more questions. She wanted to be sure the baby wouldn't be adversely affected by what was and would be happening. The doctors answered all of her questions, and Kendall was reassured by their answers.

"I haven't missed anything, have I?"

"Zach. You made it." Kendall smiled seeing her husband appear.

"There is not a chance in hell that I would miss this. How are you doing?" Zach kissed his wife.

"Better now that you're here. Marissa's been doing a heck job for me though, not that I'm surprised."

Zach glanced at his sister-in-law. "That doesn't surprise me a bit either. Thank you."

"You're welcome. I'm going to go hang out in the waiting room now. Bianca, Erica and Greenlee should be here soon, and they're going to want to know what's going on. Good luck."

"Thank you, Marissa, for everything."

"Anytime, Kendall. Anytime."

/

"Rissa!"

The redhead in question smiled brightly seeing her wife rushing over to where she seated in the waiting. Bianca was clearly out of breath from hurrying over to the hospital. "Hi. Take a breath and sit down. I'll tell you everything I know."

Bianca nodded and did as instructed, calming herself after a few deep breaths. "How are Kendall and the baby?"

"They're both doing okay. Zach got here a few minutes ago and is with Kendall now so he hasn't missed anything."

"I'm glad he got here in time."

"Me too. It's kind of a good thing I paid attention in our birthing classes to what you had to do."

"Use some of that for Kendall, did you?"

"Yes, I did. Okay, here's what I know." Before Marissa could start, the couple was joined by Erica.

"Hello, dears. How are Kendall and the baby? Did Zach make it here?"

"Hi, Erica. Kendall and the baby are fine, and Zach is here. I was just getting ready to tell Bianca what the doctors have said."

"Hey, don't start without me." Greenlee rushed over to where the women were sitting.

Marissa looked around to see if anyone else was going to join them before starting for the third time. "First of all, Kendall is fine and definitely in labor. Zach is back with her and so are Dr. Abbott and Dr. Chambers."

"Dr. Chambers is here? Thank goodness." Erica couldn't hide her relief at knowing the cardiologist was in town.

"Yes, she got in a little early and met us here."

"Kendall seemed okay this morning before I left."

"She said she was fine until she went back to one of the exam rooms. Dr. Abbott confirmed though that she was in labor. They're going to go ahead and do the C-section now. The baby is full term, and stopping the labor would be hard on Kendall and add stress. As the three of you know, that's not good for her. When Zach got here, I left her room, but I do know they were getting an OR prepped for her and plan on taking her back as soon as it's ready. Before Zach got here, she was worried about the boys. I told her we would take care of getting them. Neither of them need to worry about that right now so, we need to figure that part out."

"It's already taken care of. I called Ryan on my way over, and he's going to pick them up. I figure that Zach will want to stay here tonight so the boys can stay with us. If you think that's okay."

Bianca smiled. "That would be great, and I know that Kendall and Zach will be relieved and appreciate it."

"It's not much, but at least it's something at least. I also know that the two of you have your hands full. Besides, Emma will like having them. I didn't want to overstep."

Erica knew how much Kendall and Greenlee meant to each other. They were almost as close as Kendall and Bianca. "That is very generous, Greenlee. Thank you. Speaking of children, where is Danny?"

"Carol came over this morning to watch him so Rissa could drive Kendall to her appointment."

"She's still watching him and said she'd stay as long as we needed her to." Marissa added.

"And Susan is picking up AJ, Miranda and Gabby from school. I called her on my way over and told her what was going on. She said she could stay and watch them if Carol can't." Bianca told her wife.

"Good. I don't want Carol to wear herself out."

"Hello, ladies."

Erica glanced up and knew they were going to find something out. "Angie, you have word for us?"

"I do. I saw Zach, and he asked that I give you a message. They are taking Kendall to an OR now to deliver the baby. I also spoke with Dr. Abbott because I knew you would want more information than that. She said that everything is going just as it should."

The four women sighed in relief at the same time.

"Thank you, Angie." Bianca said gratefully.

"You're welcome. If you'd like, I could keep an eye on them, and let you know how things are going."

Erica gave the doctor an appreciative smile. "I … we would appreciate that very much. Thank you."

Angie nodded. "I'll let you know the minute I know something." With that, Angie headed off.

/

Bianca couldn't sit still any longer. Waiting to hear something, anything about Kendall was driving her nuts. She had been pacing in the waiting room for the last fifteen minutes.

Marissa's eyes followed her wife as she wrapped up her call. "You keep doing that, and you're going to wear a hole in the floor. Joe Martin won't like that very much."

Bianca blinked for a second as her wife's words sunk in. The brunette stopped and glanced over to find amused hazel eyes focused on her. She shook her head and sat back down. "Sorry. I was hoping we would've heard something from Angie by now."

"I know, and so was I. Keep thinking positive though, alright? Think of it as the newest Kane woman making sure her entrance lives up to the standards set by the rest of you." Marissa smirked.

Erica raised an eyebrow as she glanced at her daughter-in-law and noted the humor behind the statement. "Precisely."

Greenlee rolled her eyes. "None of us stand a snowball's chance."

Bianca snorted which made Marissa grin knowing that she'd eased some of the tension that had gripped their small group, particularly her wife's.

"Oh, and just so you know, Joe wouldn't be mad because he likes me." Bianca stuck her tongue out.

"Well, you are pretty darn adorable." Marissa laughed before leaning in and lowering her voice so only her wife heard her. "I can think of several uses for that tongue for later."

"That makes two of us. I'll be more than happy to show you what I have in mind tonight, if you're good."

"Oh, I'm always good."

"I can't argue with that."

Greenlee could be heard muttering. "Get a room."

Bianca sat back. "How's Danny?"

"Carol said he is perfect which I'm not nearly impartial enough to argue against that point. She also said that it's no problem to stay longer and watch all of the kids for us, and she will stay as long as we need her to. Carol mentioned she was going to enlist Sam to come over after school to help. I thought that was a great idea and told her she could ask Sam if she wanted to bring a swimsuit. She and the kids could go for a swim if they wanted. Carol thought Sam would really like that."

"That is a good idea. The kids will like it too."

Erica saw Angie coming their way and stood quickly to meet her. "How is Kendall?"

"A little sore, a little tired, but overall, she's doing very well."

"And the baby?"

"A beautiful and perfect baby girl. Healthy with a headful of hair and one heck of a set of lungs."

"So, everyone is okay?" Greenlee needed confirmation.

"Everyone is more than okay. Kendall and the baby both came through with flying colors. They will be bringing them up to their room shortly. Oh, Zach already said the baby isn't allowed to date until she's 30. Neither Kendall nor the baby were buying that. Kendall rolled her eyes and the baby let loose a wail the likes of which you've never heard, and before you ask, I have no idea of her name. Congratulations."

Bianca smiled. "Thanks, Angie!"

/

Dr. Abbott found the women smiling and laughing. "I see Angie gave you the good news. Congratulations, grandma and aunts!"

"Thank you." Erica nodded graciously.

The three younger women just sat there, eyes wide and slack-jawed. There was no way to hide their shock over Erica not correcting the doctor. She seemed to actually accept the title of 'grandma'.

Erica glanced at them. "What?"

"Uh … nothing." Bianca scrambled to cover as best she could before turning to the doctor. "And she said that both Kendall and the baby are good."

"They are great. You'll be able to see them as soon as we get them settled in their room."

"Greenlee?"

The woman in question glanced up to see a familiar but unexpected visitor. "Rafaela? What are you doing here?"

"I just got back in town, and Liz told me you had to leave the meeting because of Kendall going into labor. I thought I would stop by on my way to the hotel. Is she okay?"

"Oh, that's very nice of you. According to her doctor, both she and her daughter are doing great."

"A little girl! That is wonderful! What is her name?"

"We don't know yet. Although, Dr. Abbott might know."

"Oh no, I'm not saying a word. In fact, I'm going to cite doctor/patient confidentially on that one."

Bianca laughed. "Don't worry. We won't make you tell us. We can wait a little longer. Oh, where are my manners. Dr. Maura Abbott, this is Rafaela. Rafaela, Dr. Abbott."

The model smiled as she turned to the woman in hospital scrubs. She was struck by brilliant blue eyes, and a beautiful and intelligent face that was framed by curly auburn hair.

For the doctor, she found the raven haired woman before her captivating. She looked familiar, but she couldn't place the reason why.

Holding out a hand, the doctor introduced herself. "Maura Abbott. It's nice to meet you."

The model took the proffered hand and smiled. "Rafaela Alvaréz, and the pleasure is all mine."

Knowing smiles were exchanged by the four other women.

"Dr. Abbott, Mrs. Slater is back in her room and anxious to show off her, and I'm using her words, little diva."

Reluctantly pulling her eyes away from Rafaela, Maura turned to the nurse. "Thank you. If you'd like, I can take you back to meet the newest member of your family."

"Yes!" Bianca and Greenlee jumped to their feet.

Erica showed a little more restraint and stood slowly. Marissa wore an amused expression as she stood to join the others.

"Give Kendall and Zach my best."

"I will, and thank you for stopping by, Rafaela. I will be back in the office tomorrow."

"I'll let Liz and Ashley know." The model's gaze lingered on Maura who nodded before leading the others away.

As they followed Erica and Bianca, Marissa cracked quietly to Greenlee. "Even my gaydar picked that up."

Greenlee burst out laughing. "I'd be worried about you if it didn't."

/

Bianca knocked softly on the door of her sister's hospital room and waited for a response. When she heard Zach's voice telling them to come in, she opened the door, and the women went inside.

Smiles abounded in the room, but none were brighter than Kendall's as she held her newborn daughter. As much as they all wanted to hold the beautiful baby girl, the three younger women knew there would be hell to pay if Erica wasn't first. The diva stepped forward and happily took the baby from her oldest daughter.

"She is absolutely beautiful." Erica cooed and then raised an eyebrow when the baby seemed to make a noise sounding an awful lot like a scoff as if to say 'I know'.

"The Kane force is strong in this one." Marissa chuckled and was quickly joined by Zach and Greenlee as the older Kane women each raised an eyebrow in perfect synchronicity.

"Now that is impressive." Greenlee cracked.

"I would like you to meet Lexie. Actually, it's Alexandra but Lexie for short." Kendall smiled brightly.

"After Zach?" Erica asked. Seeing Kendall nod, she continued. "A beautiful name for a beautiful girl."

"Kendall insisted." They could all tell Zach was proud. "We have a question for you, Bianca, and you, Greenlee."

Bianca smiled as she finally got her turn to hold her niece when Erica handed the baby to her. "Okay. What is it?"

Zach continued. "Would you do us the honor of being Lexie's godmothers? Now, we know it's traditional to have one godmother and one godfather but since when has this family ever been traditional. Besides, no one will protect her better than the two of you. Anyone would be a complete idiot to take on either of you."

"Truer words were never spoken." Marissa agreed.

Bianca's smile got even bigger. "I would be honored." Giving her niece a gentle kiss, Bianca then gave her to her other newly-minted godmother.

Greenlee swallowed the boulder-sized lump that had formed in her throat as her eyes glistened. "Thank you, and yes, I'm honored to be her godmother. Oh, Lexie, we are going to have so much fun."

Kendall rolled her eyes but was still smiling. "I'm counting on you, Binx, to balance out Greenlee."

"I make no guarantees." Seeing the unasked question in her sister's eyes, Bianca nodded. While she didn't know about the godmother request, she did know about this one. Kendall and Zach had asked for her feedback a couple of weeks ago. Bianca thought it was a wonderful idea and was deeply touched.

"We should probably tell you the middle name we want to give her. It's contingent upon receiving someone's permission." Seeing the confusion on most of the others' faces, Kendall pressed forward. "We would like her full name to be Alexandra Marie Slater. Alexandra is, like Mom said earlier, after Zach. Marie, well, there are two reasons for Marie. The first, one of the meanings of Marie is 'wished for child', and she most definitely is that."

Marissa cocked her head. "Huh. That's one of the meanings of my name." The redhead saw the look in Kendall's and Zach's eyes, and she knew it was as true for them as it was for her parents.

"And that brings us to our second reason. The name Marie is related to the name Marissa. Red, you have done so much for us. I can't even list everything you've done. The latest, though, had you volunteering to babysit me these last couple of weeks. I know I can be handful, but you never complained. You also somehow managed to make a stressful and difficult time so much better, and dare I say a little fun. Today pretty much sealed it for us."

Zach nodded. "I knew Kendall was in good hands with you here."

"You didn't leave my side, and I knew they would have to drug you and drag you away kicking and screaming if they had said you couldn't stay."

Dr. Abbott smiled seeing the pointed stare her patient directed her way. "Me too. That's why I didn't even consider it."

"Marissa, we love you, and would could consider it a privilege if you allowed us to borrow part of your name for Lexie."

By this time, tears were streaming down the redhead's face. The thought had never crossed her mind, and to say she was touched beyond words would be a gross understatement. In fact, Marissa was finding it hard to speak. She could only nod.

Greenlee handed Lexie to Marissa. "Wow, I do believe you've rendered her speechless. That's something I thought only Bianca could do."

Marissa managed to choke out a chuckle and glanced at her wife whose eyes were filled with tears as well. She could tell Bianca wasn't surprised by the request. The redhead finally found her voice. "I would be honored. Thank you. I can't even tell you how much this means to me. I love both of you too." Marissa glanced back down at her niece and placed a kiss on her head. "And you too, Lexie."

Erica discreetly wiped away a tear and nodded her approval of the name. Bianca mouthed 'thank you' to Kendall and Zach.

Greenlee broke the silence. "Alexandra Marie. I like it. I guess Alexandra Marissa is a mouthful, and I'm not too sure about the rhyming."

Marissa laughed and gave Lexie to her proud father. "I have to agree with Greenlee."

/

The group was soon joined by Dr. Chambers. "How is everyone?"

"You tell me, doctor. Actually, could you tell them? I think they'll feel a lot better if they hear it from you."

"I can do that. Kendall's heart is just fine. We had no problems. The pacemaker did its job, and she came through just great. Made my job a lot easier."

"Thank you, Dr. Chambers." Erica shook the doctor's hand although she really wanted to hug her, image be damned.

"You're welcome. We're going to keep her here for a day or two just to be on the safe side, and Lexie will safe here with her. Now, I know you're not going to like hearing this, but Kendall needs rest which means you need to leave. Sorry."

They nodded and began to say their goodbyes.

"Thanks for keeping the boys, Greenlee. Tell Ryan thanks too.

"It's no problem. Just call when you're ready to talk to them tonight, and we'll bring them by tomorrow like you want."

Erica hugged her oldest daughter. "She is beautiful, just like her mother. I love you and will check on you later. Zach, take care of our girls, and nicely done."

Marissa was the next to say goodbye. "Thank you. What you did means so much."

"You're welcome. We meant every word. Thank you for today."

"I'm glad I could help, but you did the hard part. Like the others have said Lexie is beautiful. You two do good work."

It was finally Bianca's turn. "I think you're going to have your hands full with Lexie if she's anything like you, and judging from earlier, she is. You can handle her though. You're a Kane woman after all and one heck of a mom. I promise to be the best aunt and godmother ever."

"I have no doubt that you will be. You already are the best sister, Binx."

"You're pretty great yourself. I'm so happy for both of you, and I'm even happier that you are okay, Kendall. I need to have my big sister around. I love you. If you need anything, just call. Oh, remind me to tell you about something that happened earlier with Mom. You are not going to believe it."

"I can't wait to hear that. I love you too, Binx."

/

Greenlee looked at the others once they had left Kendall's room. "Does anyone have to get back right away?"

"Carol told me to take my time so I'm good for a little while longer. Not too late though. I don't want to take advantage."

"Jan cleared my schedule for the rest of the day for me since we didn't know how long I would be. I'm up for doing something. Mom?"

Erica nodded. "My calendar is free as well."

"What do you have in mind, Greenlee?" Bianca asked.

"Well, there is a new little girl in there, and her mom hasn't been able to get out and do much of anything to prep for her arrival."

"Especially since she didn't want to jinx anything." Bianca added. Kendall had been reluctant to buy anything just in case there were more complications.

"Exactly! You know what that means, don't you?"

Erica smiled. "Of course I do. We need to go shopping."

With that said, the four came up with a quick plan on where to start their shopping spree.

/

A/N: Sorry for the late post. The day started off okay, but then, someone hit my car while it was in a parking lot and just left it. I now have a nice dent, a police report on it and get to deal with getting it fixed. Fun.

I would like to thank a few of you for some of the input you gave me that inspired the 'Kendall themed' storyline. Huskermania and a Guest reviewer gave me the idea of Kendall being pregnant, and there were two Guest reviewers who suggested naming the baby after Zach (Alexander is his real name). Also, thank you to everyone else who gave me suggestions for the baby's name. I was pretty set on Alexandra for the first name but wasn't sure on the middle name. Thanks to Google, I started checking on the meanings of different names. When I typed in 'Marissa' just for the fun of it, I found that it was related to 'Marie'. Like Greenlee, I wasn't too keen on the rhyming of names (I'm speaking from personal experience on that one). When I saw the connection between the two names, that sealed it for me. Hope you liked it. See you soon!