They arrived at the hospital with only moments to spare. They'd no sooner arrived at the Emergency Room when a huge labor pain struck. Nearly bringing Catherine to her knees. Nick struggled to keep her upright. When, out of nowhere, someone appeared with a wheelchair. Nick could have kissed the man, but didn't. Instead he followed closely behind and watched as they wheeled Catherine into the delivery room. Nick was stopped by a nurse asking, "I need some information sir."

"She's registered here. Her name is Catherine Stokes. She's my wife. All the information is on file."

With that he opened his wallet and threw the insurance card at the poor woman. Then he looked at her and said, "Can you show me where they've taken her? I need to be with her."

The nurse nodded and said, "Follow me sir."

Truthfully, Nick hadn't need the guide. He could hear Catherine's screams down the hall. He knew that she was in pain and would have given anything to take the pain on himself. He was at her side quickly and took her hand, kissed her head and whispered, "I'm here baby."

"I can't do this Nicky! It hurts too bad!"

Nick nodded and swallowed hard, "You can do it baby. Our little girl will be here soon and it will all be over."

Catherine's doctor appeared in the doorway and smiled, "She's in labor?"

Catherine looked at him and hissed, "You think?!!"

Nick would've laughed, but knew that this wasn't the time. So, he watched as the doctor checked her out. He smiled and said, "She's nearly fully dialated. Get ready to push Catherine."

Catherine shook her head and whispered, "I can't do this. It hurts. I'm tired."

It was then that Nick locked eyes with her and whispered, "You can do it sweetheart. For our daughter. For Lindsay."

Catherine nodded and bit her bottom lip. With Nick standing beside her, she could do anything.

So, after a lot of pain and pushing, Lindsay Nichole Stokes was brought into the world. She had her mommy's hair and her daddy's nose. She was, in a word, perfect.

Nick walked into Lindsay's room. She'd woken just as he got home. He peeked in their bedroom and saw that Catherine was alseep. She was stirring, but maybe if he hurried, he could get her to quiet down and give Cath some much needed sleep.

Nick sits in the rocking chair and sings "In My Arms" by Mark Wills

Three a.m. on the clock
Lullaby, music box
Oh, baby please don't cry
Let's let mama sleep tonight
You've only been home one day
You don't even know your name
Tiny hand on my cheek
You're a miracle to me
In the stillness of the night
Cradled in this rocking chair
I hold all my hopes and dreams,
Every single answered prayer
To protect you from this great big old world
But I swear this much is true
There'll always be a place for you...in my arms

Oh, this promise I will keep
As you finally fall asleep...in my arms

In my arms
Wish I could hold you forever
In my arms
I will give you shelter
Still I know I can't always be there
To protect you from this great big old world
But I swear this much is true
There'll always be a place for you...in my arms

As I watch you take each breath
Oh, it scares me to death
To know you're counting on me
To be the daddy that you need
Wounded knees and broken hearts
Learning how to drive a car
When it's time for your first date
Will I know just what to say
When you find that one true love
I'll put on my best smile
And I'll try to hide my tears
As I walk you down the aisle

In my arms
Wish I could hold you forever
In my arms
I will give you shelter
Still I know I can't always be there

Catherine awoke during his singing and smiled at the sight of her husband and newborn daughter. She wished that she had a camera. It would have made a wonderful picture for her scrapbook. She swallowed back a few tears and slipped out of the room as Nick finished the song.

Lindsay finally settled down after he fed and changed her. Nick put her in her crib and walked into his bedroom. Catherine was sitting up smiling and he asked, "What?"

"She's only a day old and she's already got you wrapped around her finger. What's going to happen in a few years?"

Nick smiled and said, "She's my little princess. I just hope I can be everything she needs me to be."

Catherine smiled softly and said, "You're going to be a great daddy."

***Fast Forward Seven Years***

Seven year old Lindsay Stokes smiled as her daddy swung her high in the air. She had everything a little girl could ask for. A daddy and mommy that loved her. She was content in her life. Her parents worked a lot, but she knew that one of them would always be there for her.

However, that was all called into question one night. That night, her daddy didn't come home from work. Her mom came home crying and took her to her Grandma's house. The only thing she told Lindsay was that her daddy was missing. Lindsay knew that her mom sometimes helped other people look for people that were missing. So, she looked at her mom and asked, "Are you going to find him mommy?"

Catherine swallowed hard and whsipered, "I'm going to try sweetie."

Lindsay nodded and ran to her bedroom. She took a picture of her and her father off of her dresser and ran back to her mommy. She handed the picture to Catherine and said, "Here's a picture to show to people. So, they know what daddy looks like."

Catherine had to swallow the lump that formed in her throat. The tears threatened to spill over and out of her eyes. She gathered Lindsay to her and gave her a hug and said, "Thanks Linds. That's perfect."

Catherine drove Lindsay to Lily's house and despite the thousand questions in her mom's eyes, Lily remained silent and simply said, "Bring him home Catherine. We are all praying for him."

Catherine nodded and said, "I'll move heaven and earth to bring him home mom."

Lily knew that was true. She loved Nick as if her were her own son. He made Catherine happy, so it made Lily happy. She walked into her house with Lindsay and shut the door.

Catherine ran to her Denali and sped back to the lab. She walked inside and felt the tension in the room. Everyone was focused on looking for Nick. She knew that they would be, but it filled her with hope.

When the courier delivered a package and Hodges announced that it was about Nick. She wanted to rip it out of his hands, but she knew that Grissom should do it. So, she bit her bottom lip while she waited. She felt like crying. She wanted to hold and kiss Nicky. She wanted to pretend that this whole thing was a bad dream and that Nicky was going to come walking through the door any second.

However, the fact that it wasn't a dream was all too real. Especially when they got the internet feed. She wanted to reach out and touch his face. Wanted to comfort him. To tell him that she was looking for him. She wanted to run to him. Wanted to touch him. Instead, she had to sit there and comfort his parents. Had to tell them that their son was missing and that there wasn't a damn thing she could do. She didn't know a damn thing about who had taken him. Where he was or if he was hurt. The only thing she did know for certain was that he wasn't where he belonged. He wasn't with her and Lindsay.

So, she watched as his parents comforted each other. She wanted to start crying right there. She almost did. When it was announced that they city wouldn't put up the ransom. She did the one thing that she'd always promised herself she wouldn't do. She decided that she would pay a visit to her father. The man she had a love hate relationship with. She only hoped she had enough time to save Nicky.....