The wailing of the brand new baby was the only sound that could be heard in the hospital room. Everyone had fallen silent from surprise at what the doctor had just said. Had they all been hallucinating from lack of sleep, or was the child in the doctors hand really a brand new girl? Truthfully, it didn't matter to Marge's parents, and Marge didn't actually care either. She just wanted the baby to be healthy and happy, that's all that mattered to her. She had fought hard to bring the new child into the world and no matter what, she did not want to be disappointed. If it was a girl, it was a girl, there was no turning back on that. She felt great pride in the fact that the baby finally arrived, and now all she wanted to do was hold it.

"There's got to be a mistake," Artie suddenly blurted out.

"How can there be if I am looking right at it and seeing that clearly it is a girl," the doctor said as he brought it over to a nearby table to cut the umbilical cord. "And as the father, you get the chance to help me do this."

Artie stared at the child as it cried on the table, it's tiny hands clenched tightly, it's legs moving back and forth as if it was trying to swim, and its toothless mouth wide open and letting out that hideous wail that would not go away any time soon. This was not right, not right at all. He was told months ago that the child was definitely going to be a male, but there before him, was a little girl and as he stared at her, he felt no connection with her and began to back away nervously.

"Artie my boy! You are now a father, how do you feel about that?" Clancy asked with a smile.

Artie remained silent but continued to stare as the doctor disinfected the area where the umbilical cord used to be. He really did not know what to do at this point, he was actually more worried than anything. It was all Olivia's fault, she made him feel this way. He wanted a boy to show how much he loved Marge and how much he wanted to be by her side, instead it was a girl. With his luck, Olivia would have a boy and he would have no choice in the matter once the child was born. He could not believe he had a conversation about this only fifteen hours before, it felt like a cruel joke.

"You said, it would be a boy according to your ultrasound," Artie said with a hint of anger in his voice.

"I am well aware of that Mr. Ziff, but sometimes we do make mistakes. We probably saw something that looked very similar to the boy anatomy. It's an honest mistake and you should still be proud," the doctor said as he handed Artie the child.

Artie stared at the little girl that the doctor was handing to him. She was not crying as much any more and was slowly adjusting to the idea of no longer being in her mothers womb. She was a beautiful little girl, what little hair she had was in curls, a trait given to her by both her mother and father. She had her mother's nose and her eyes were so blue that it was almost hypnotizing. But because of all the stress Artie had been going through, he just couldn't hold it. After a moment of staring at the crying baby, Artie backed away and ran outside.

"Artie?" Marge called out worriedly.

"Don't worry about it Marge, he'll realize that even a little girl is important," Clancy said with a smile as he watched the doctor hand the baby over to her.

Marge took her brand new baby, her brand new little girl that took forever to show her face to the world. But that was okay, because in the end it was worth it. All that straining and pain to bring the baby out into the world brought about this tiny little creature that she hugged tightly in her arms. By now the baby was only crying softly, it's tiny hands and legs moving back and forth as if it was getting used to the idea of living in a world where a cramped space was just a memory. Homer was still in the room, but he remained silent as he watched Marge stare down at her new baby. She looked so proud and happy and the more he watched her, the more he wished he could be the father, because if he were Artie he would be right next to her, savoring the moment. He didn't care either if Marge looked like she had just gone to hell and back, she still looked just as beautiful.

"So since AJ's out of the question, what will you name her?" Homer asked.

"Well...I always loved the name Lisa, its so poetic and beautiful, just like she is," Marge said proudly.

Homer only smiled, what a perfect name for such a sweet little thing. He never actually imagined Marge having a child until now, and the more he watched her hold Lisa the more he realized what a wonderful mother Marge would be. Now if only Artie would find some sense and come in and be the father that he should be they would be on easy street. Either Artie must have had a bad day or he was acting Chinese and wanted a boy to pass on the family genes. Either way, he needed to be with his wife, hopefully he would realize that sooner or later.

"Well Marge, not only am I glad this pregnancy was successful but I was able to live to see you give me a grandchild. I hope I get to watch her grow for a few more years," Clancy said with a sigh. He was tired, he had been up all night like everyone else, but he was not about to stop what he was doing quite yet. He probably needed to talk some sense into Artie once things began to die down.

"And we're aunts," Patty said happily.

"I think I'll spoil her," Selma said with a grin.

"Not if I do it first," Patty replied.

"Hrphm, we'll just see about that when the presents arrive," Selma said.

Marge could only smile at her older sisters antics. But as the excitement died down, she began to wonder where Artie had slipped off to. Did he just leave the hospital to who knows where? Or was he just nearby skulking because he did not get what the doctor had promised? Whatever the reason, Marge wished he was there to make her feel happy and to greet his new daughter, she knew that once he held her, that he would forget that he wanted a boy and would be so happy to see the brand new baby alive and well.

It wasn't for another fifteen minutes before Artie finally appeared. He quietly walked in and stood on the other side of the room, staring back at Marge with a look on his face that was neither happy nor sad. But rather disappointed and unhappy.

"Have you finally returned to see Lisa?" Clancy asked.

"Not really, I'm just upset that the doctors lied to me," Artie said with anger in his voice.

"We didn't lie to you Mr. Ziff, we simply read the ultrasound wrong," the doctor replied.

Artie let out a sigh and stared at the floor for a long time before looking up again at the family. "My hopes have been dashed..."

"No they haven't, you have a healthy little girl," Clancy said, Artie simply ignored him.

"My hopes have been dashed, I wasn't given a boy like I was supposed to. Things aren't turning out the way they should be. I was so ready for little AJ to show himself, he would be as smart as me and just as amazing as me. But instead we get this one, this pink creature that I'm just not ready for," Artie replied.

"How can you not be ready, Lisa is a baby just like she would have been if she was a boy, what difference doesn't it make?" Clancy asked.

Artie stared at Clancy angrily, what kind of excuse could he give to his father in law. Nothing that sounded truthful unless he told him about Olivia. He wasn't going to do that now, not when enough was going on. "...It doesn't matter," Artie said hoping that his secret would not slip out.

"Yes it does, why they hell are you so upset about this?" Clancy asked.

"Because I wanted a freaking boy that's why! Is that too much to ask!" Artie yelled in Clancy's face. Sending Clancy backward into a chair where he had to catch is breath from the shock of being yelled at by his son in law.

"Geeze Artie calm down, I was only asking," Clancy said as he began to cough a little.

"I will not calm down! The doctors lied to me! And now...!" Artie cried out. But he couldn't explain anymore, not unless he let his tongue slip and told them what was really going on in his life. He couldn't do that, not right now, not yet. He had just about enough of being around everyone and was ready to walk out again and stay away from his wife when Homer suddenly grabbed him by the scruff of his collar and slammed him against the wall. Homer had kept quiet for as long as he could, but enough was enough, Artie needed to stop acting like a baby and be happy that his wife had a child at all.

"Listen here you ungrateful bastard! You're wife just went through the most difficult thing anyone can ever go through in her life. Fourteen hours! Fourteen hours of freaking labor and what do you do when the baby finally arrives? You complain that it's not what you wanted! That's not what you are supposed to do Artie! It's not like a bad order at a restaurant, you can take that back. This is your child that was born, something you can't change, you should be proud that she is healthy and alive. You should be happy that Marge made it out okay. And you should grow the hell up!"

Homer was now steaming with rage as he held Artie against the wall, never taking his hands off the man who he hated for so many years. Never in his life did he want to teach this man a lesson about compassion and love. What was going on was so important to Artie, if something at work was troubling him, he needed to not worry until later. This child was more important than anything in the world, at least in Homer's eyes.

"Let go of me!" Artie yelled as he tried to kick Homer.

"No! Not until you listen to me! You're wife is someone who I have cared about ever since I laid eyes on her. I tried to get her to fall in love with me, but you won that game and I learned to deal with it over time. But then after all these years, I run into you guys again, I work near your wife cleaning the school, I say hello to her, but that is as far as I will go because I know she is yours. But when she needs help and you were not there for it, I helped her and I could only stay on the sidelines as you stayed beside her while the baby is born. And then when it finally arrives, you act like it should not be yours. Even after that long, hard labor she had to go through, all you care about is the baby's gender. If that were my child, I would be happy that the poor thing made it out okay, who cares what gender it is as long as it's healthy. Now hold your child or face my wrath!"

Homer then shoved Artie forward toward Marge as angrily as he could. Artie stood in front of him, getting his balance back after finally being released from Homer's clutches. Finally once he felt stable enough, he turned back to Homer and punched him as hard as he could on the cheek. The sudden attack sent Homer falling to the ground in surprise and pain where he clutched his hurt eye and looked up at Artie surprised. He was not surprised that Artie had punched him, but more surprised that Artie could be that strong.

"Get out!" Artie said angrily.

"Not until you hold your child!" Homer said.

"I am the father of that child, I am also the leader of what is going on and as the leader, I want you out of here right now! Before I call the cops!" Artie said as he pointed toward the door.

Homer looked over at the family, hoping that maybe they would back him up. Clancy only shook his head in regret, while Patty and Selma simply looked down at the floor, pretending nothing happened. Jacqueline let out a heavy sigh, but said nothing, she could not argue with Artie.

"I'm sorry Homer, but Artie is right, you better go." marge said sadly.

"But he..." Homer began.

"I'll have a talk with him," Marge said in a very calm voice.

Homer slowly got up off the floor, wiped himself down, and quietly walked out without saying a word. He tried, he really did, but because he was not part of the family, he had lost and now had to leave before anything happened. Marge was going through enough stress, he did not need to add more to it. Ignoring his throbbing eye and the many curious onlookers, he walked down the many hallways of the hospital until he made his way to the garage and to his car. He got in and revved up the engine, but he could not find himself to back up and leave. Instead he stared at the wall in front of him and let the tears fall down his face.

Artie stared down at his brand new daughter as he held her in his arms. Once Homer left, Artie reluctantly took the child while the rest of the family remained silent, hoping that maybe he would change his mind about how he felt about having a girl. He did have a warm feeling the longer he held her, but in his mind he also remembered what Olivia told him and it made him very nervous. The baby was two weeks early, perhaps he could keep the baby's birth a secret without her knowing. He knew that if Olivia found out, things would get very bad for Artie and his marriage really quick. If it had been a boy, Olivia would not hint to anyone that Artie was cheating on her. If it was a girl, Olivia would break the silence and tell everyone about the secret love affair and that the child she as carrying was Artie's. It just wasn't fair, and yet the child he was holding him seemed to make him feel calmer and more relaxed. Yes that was it, he would not tell Olivia for a few weeks.

"Are you proud of her yet?" Marge asked worriedly.

"I will admit, she does grow on you," Artie said with a smile.

"Why did you get so mad though?" Marge asked trying to keep the problem quiet since they were in a hospital and she was way too tired to get into any kind of argument.

Artie looked up at Marge and saw the worry in her eyes, it was so hard not to stay so upset when he looked into those eyes because he did care about her. Olivia was making it difficult for him though because he did have feelings for her too. If only Olivia was not pregnant perhaps she would be out of his life forever. He knew he had to say something that sounded partly true.

"...Bad day at work."

"And having a girl is just as bad as work I see," Clancy said.

Artie glared at Clancy, never before had they had this much friction between them. Clancy never had any boys, but he was never worried about it because he had his family and he loved them just as well. Artie of course was not as family oriented as it was meant to believe. He actually liked to work and stay busy, but he still cared for Marge and still wanted to be with her. It was just a shock that the baby was a girl, just as shocking as changes around the office.

"Well it is a shock, kind of like something like that happening at work. But please get off my back about it," Artie said.

"Only if you promise to love and care for this child as long as you live," Clancy said in a very stern voice.

Artie looked down at his daughter, she stared back at him curiously before falling asleep in his arms. She really was precious, how could he not say yes, especially if it was at this moment in time? He was a father now, he had to be proud no matter what the circumstances.

"I promise," Artie said with a sigh.

"Very good then, you better keep that promise or I will come after you," Clancy said as he pointed a finger at Artie.

"Yes Sir," Artie said in a way that felt both tired and defeated. It was going to be a hard couple of months.

"Did you really have to kick out Homer Simpson though?" Marge asked after a few moments of silence.

"He's not supposed to be here, he isn't family, he never will be. He's always had a thing for you and I think he was trying to get to you by taking you to the hospital," Artie said.

"Artie he accepted the fact that you are mine, I really don't think he was trying anything," Marge replied.

"You never know," Artie said with a growl in his voice. It was his way of saying that even talking about Homer Simpson was not something he tolerated.

"He helped your wife though, you should be grateful," Clancy said.

"I am grateful, and grateful that he is gone too, now let's drop the subject and talk about what to name the baby," Artie said.

"It's Lisa, and you don't understand the issue that went on for Homer today, he is very sensitive and I can tell that helping me out made him feel better. But when you told him to leave, well you can tell that he won't be happy for a while," Marge said.

"Oh he'll get over it, he's a big boy. Knowing him in a few hours, all of this will be forgotten and he will be happy again," Artie said.

Artie did not realize how wrong he was.

A/N: Well this chapter did not turn out like I hoped, but still I finally got it done after a busy weekend. I hope everyone thought it was okay, the next chapter is going to get a bit interesting, if you haven't noticed, it involves Homer so yeah be on the lookout. And I got more reviews than usual last time, so yay thank you everyone and welcome to the story newslove, thank you for the review. So yay review! Any way see you all soon.