And here is the final part of this little story. I hope you like it.

I have to mention again that if I'm posting this is thanks to Lily Moonlight and the help she offered me with the English versions, also in this fic, "her" fic.

The characters in this fic don't belong to me, but to the CSI NY creators.

My number 1

Part 3

New Orleans, February 14, 2011

The wall clock showed the change of day. Midnight had passed, it was February 14. Valentine's Day, Mac thought with a sigh. It was just a year ago that his relationship with Stella had surpassed mere friendship and they had become lovers. They had been so discreet that Mac had thought that even their closest colleagues hadn't noticed.

He and Stella had had four months and nine days of complete happiness, and one day, the last, of complete despair. That day had been the worst of his life along with the day he had lost Claire. He had nothing to reproach himself for in Claire's case, he hadn't any guilt, but with Stella...

He had gone crazy, there was no other explanation. He had found out about Adam's one night stand with Stella, and he had gone crazy. Jealousy, rage, he didn't know what had gone through his mind. What claim did he have to Stella, if they weren't together at that time? Couldn't Stella have felt the same about him being with Aubrey, with Peyton...? It was all part of the past, then why had he been hopping mad?

Recalling that day, Mac knew had been a very difficult week at the Lab, he had barely slept in days, and to top it all, Stella had received the offer to head the CSI Laboratory in New Orleans. She hadn't even taken it seriously, but when Mac had reproached her about the affair with a subordinate, she said that if he was going to behave that way, it might be better for her to leave, take the good offer she had received and be away from subordinates with whom she had slept and from bosses she had been sleeping with too. That last had finished Mac's self-control and before realizing what he was doing, he had said that damn sentence which even now, was pounding in his head: "If you go now, I don't want to know anything more about you."

When he had returned to his apartment, Stella had taken everything she had been bringing to Mac's house in those few months: nightgown, toiletries, clothes, shoes, underwear... There had been nothing left.

Trying to rid his mind of those painful memories, Mac looked at Stella now, in the semi-darkness of the room. She was so beautiful, peacefully asleep, her curls framing her face now more rounded. Her neck was still slender and Mac realised how much he had missed kissing her there, and burying his face in the curve of her shoulder. Another curve had now become more evident, even under the bedcovers. The curve of a belly that carried two babies almost ready to be born. Stella was the real picture of life.

Earlier that day, when he had reached the main lobby in the hospital, he had been directed to the fourth floor. There, the night nurse had given him information after checking Stella's record and seeing that he was listed as Stella's next of kin, and that he was the father of her babies.

Mac had struggled to keep his composure and not jump with the shock. Now, almost three hours later, he still couldn't stop smiling through the misunderstanding.

The nurse had consulted Stella's history and had checked Mac's identity before allowing him to see her. She had initially looked at him with a bit of reproach. No doubt wondering where had this guy been all the week since Stella had been admitted, alone. Although, Mac smiled to himself wryly, she had realized that he was carrying a travel bag and when she looked at his identity card and discovered he had come from New York, appeared to have forgiven him a bit. Well, if he had been out of town...

"So...," she had said. "You are Detective MacTaylor... yes. You can see Miss Bonasera in just a moment. You're listed as her next of kin..." She had continued reading the file and found Mac's name again. "Ah, and you're the father too!"

Mac had been surprised.

"No, I'm ..." He had thought how he could identify himself. He couldn't say the husband, or the fiancé, because they weren't even engaged... "I'm her boyfriend."

The nurse had laughed seeing his face.

"Yes, I understand, Miss Bonasera's boyfriend... I mean the father of the babies she's carrying"

Mac had dropped his bag. As he bent to pick it up he could hide the surprise on his face to the inquiring nurse. But he had been pale and it had taken a moment before he could catch his breath and ask, "How is she? I was concerned she'd had to be admitted."

"She's okay, don't worry. With rest and controlled blood pressure, she'll be fine. She needed to rest and sleep. Right now you will find her asleep and she probably won't wake up until tomorrow. We gave her a low medication to help her to sleep. But you can see her if you want to. Dr. Roberts is on duty today, and beforemidnighthe will make his rounds. When he arrives I'll let you know so you can talk to him. Now, follow me, please."

Mac had followed her into Stella's room. Seeing that Stella was sleeping peacefully she had left him there, closing the door behind her. He had approached and even in the dim light he had been able to see Stella clearly, her beautiful face, her enormous belly. Babies, the nurse had said… my God, he had thought, he was the father of the babies Stella was carrying.

He had pulled a chair to the bed and sat down nearby. He hadn't dared to touch her, but he was dying to do it. Stella had carried their babies for more than seven months without telling him... He had been tempted to get angry. He was the father, God, he should have known! They were his, too! Then he had thought about what he had said...

"I don't want to know anything more about you."

Tears had streamed down his face and he hadn't even bothered to clean them. What a fool he had been, what an idiot. He had missed the best part of this whole matter, the discovery that they would be parents, the first visit to the doctor, the first ultrasound, the gradual change in Stella's body until reaching her actual condition...Idiot! he had said to himself.

He didn't know how long he had been there when the nurse had opened the door, and quietly introduced Mac to Dr. Roberts. The doctor had glanced at Stella, and asked the nurse if there was any news. She had said there wasn't and had left. Dr. Roberts had asked Mac to go out of the room, so they could speak in a normal tone. He had reported to Mac the reason for Stella's admission, and that, at the moment, the rest had been effective, and probably her high blood pressure in the previous week was due to stress. Now it all was under control. Stella was really well, but she would have to rest until the time of delivery.

The doctor had continued his round while Mac returned to the room. He had told the nurse he was spending the night there and she had nodded, her estimation of Mac clearly going up instantly. Well, at least he was going to compensate her for his absence during the last week.

And so here he was, sitting by the bed of the love of his life, the number 1 on his speed dial. He reached over and gently took hold of one of Stella's hands. It was warm, as soft as ever. Suddenly, he began to speak, his voice low but firm.

"You're my number 1, Stella. Do you know what that means? Well, today I discovered that in a test, in a magazine for teenagers. It means that you're the love of my life. That's right. Who is number 1 on your speed dial on the phone, especially if that "who" has been there for a year... and you've been there for almost ten... that person is the love of your life." He sighed deeply. "And, joking aside, I've always known it, but what I didn't know is how much of a coward and a stupid man I could be. But I've realized it now…" Again, he sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose between his fingers. "How much time have I lost, Stella! Can you ever forgive me? Can you let me share your life and our children's?" He smiled as he said that. "Our children… I still can't believe it, even with the evidence before my eyes... Our children… I'm sorry, honey, for saying what I said. I'm so sorry, because it wasn't even true, I don't know what came over me. How could I not want to hear from you? I want to know everything about you, I want to share my life with you... I love you, Stella, I have always loved you and I always will."

He leant his forehead on the edge of the bed, still holding Stella's hand in his. He didn't know how much time had passed, when, suddenly, a soft voice came to comfort his troubled soul. Mac thought that maybe he was dreaming, but he wasn't...

Because Stella, with a deep sigh murmured, "You're also my number 1, Mac. You always have been and you will always be, because you are the love of my life. The tests in teen magazines never lie."

Mac looked at her, and she half opened her eyes and smiled lazily before closing them. Mac thought she was asleep again, but he heard her say "Take off your shoes and come and lie down here with all your girls, Mac..."

Mac didn't think twice. He lay down beside her, resting his face in the crook of her neck as he had so longed to do again, his hand on her belly.

"Two girls, then?" Mac asked after a while, almost asleep himself.

"Identical," Stella mumbled. "Get ready, daddy!"

The nurse found them like this in her last round before ending her night shift. She smiled widely and closed the door. It was all well. Perfectly well. A perfect start to Valentine's Day!

The End.

Thank you all for reading!