Even though Jane had assured her she'd begin to feel better; she never did. Her entire pregnancy with Stevie had been miserable.

"Am I waddling?" she whined to her husband one Saturday night in mid-June as she walked to the bed, her hands supporting back.

"No. You look adorable." He said sincerely. Even though she had been complaining, she was adorable. She hadn't gained much weight; only in her belly. She looked like she was walking around with a basketball under her shirt.

"You're obligated to say that." She whined some more. "Will you rub my back again, it's really hurting?"

"It doesn't make it less true." He said as she settled on the bed and he crawled up behind her to massage her back. "Feel better?"

She nodded and leaned into his touch. She'd been complaining about her back and her cramps all day. After her massage she nested herself in the pillows and threw off the covers, hoping after a good sleep she'd feel better. It had been an unseasonably hot June thus far, and being pregnant was not helping. She had a fan blowing directly on her face and the a/c maxed out, causing Henry to practically sleep in a parka behind her.

She awoke at 10:30pm to a sharper pain. Wincing to not wake her husband, she rolled on her side trying to alleviate it. When it didn't go away and another stung just a few minutes later she frantically woke up her husband. "Henry…..wake up." She begged, tapping him with her right hand.

"Mmm, what babe?" he said groggily.

"I think I just had a contraction."

Henry was immediately wide awake. "Are you sure?"

"How should I know, I've never had one before!" she cried and then another one came and she hissed. Henry grabbed her hand and encouraged her to breathe.

When it was over he said, "Come on. Let's go to the hospital, just in case."

He silently thanked god that he had made her pack her hospital bag last week and kept it in the trunk of the Jeep. By the time they made it the short drive to the hospital, tears were streaming down her face from the pain and she was relieved to see Dr. Miller on call that evening.

"But it's too soon!" she reminded, it was 3 weeks early. She was supposed to have more time to mentally prepare herself for this moment.

"A little. But I can't stop your labor my dear, you are too far along – almost 7 centimeters." Dr. Miller said. "But I can get you that epidural if you like."

"Oh, yes please." She groaned.

"I'll be right back."

After the doctor gave her the shot; her pain quickly subsided and she finally calmed a bit. She laid back in the bed and closed her eyes as her doctor suggested, encouraging her to rest until it was time to push. Henry climbed in bed beside her and put his hand over hers on her belly. "We're going to meet our baby tonight. That's exciting, isn't it?" He asked, trying to ease her nerves.

She nodded tiredly. "And terrifying."

"It will be okay." He promised her.

"Henry, what time is it?"

"11:30." He replied. "Close your eyes sweetheart."

"Henry….the baby's birthday will be on father's day." She realized.

He smiled at this, kissing her forehead. "You're right. What a wonderful present."

Henry was so supportive; he sat behind her, gripping her hands tightly as she pushed. Even though she wasn't in much pain from the epidural, he could feel her body tense and each time and filled her ears with encouragement each time she collapsed against him utterly exhausted as he dabbed her forehead with a cool cloth in between each push. After 40 minutes of pushing, they first heard their baby cry just after 2am on Father's Day.

"It's a girl!" Dr. Miller said as he suctioned the baby's nose and mouth.

She turned her head as best as she could to kiss her husband when they heard the news. They had wanted to be surprised. "Oh my god." She smiled breathlessly.

He kissed her happily and squeezed her shoulders. "Amazing."

She'd only seen her husband cry on two occasions; on their wedding day and the day she visited him in the hospital in Germany. She vaguely remembered him wiping at his tears as he had gotten up, kissing her and telling her how much he loved her as he settled her back against many pillows so he could cut the cord and watch over their newborn daughter as the nurses cleaned and examined her.

The time between when Henry had cut the cord and when she was able to nestle in his soothing embrace while holding their new baby was a blur. She may have passed out. She only remembered complaining she was suddenly so cold and she had a terrible case of the shakes, which Dr. Miller assured her was completely normal. She knew she had gotten stitches somewhere in there too, but she couldn't actually remember when.

All she remembered was Henry slipping on her wrap sweater to help keep her arms warm, and scooting her over a bit, making room for himself on the bed, her legs still numb. He had wrapped his arm around her shoulder, letting her settle in then the nurse carefully placed the baby on her chest wearing only her diaper and a pink knit hat, draping her with a warm blanket. She had explained that it was important for the baby's skin to be touching Elizabeth's skin to keep warm, especially since she was slightly premature.

The doctor had dimmed the lights before he left the room, allowing the new parents some quiet time to get acquainted with their baby, and the nurse came in every 15 minutes to check on them.

She remembered being completely in awe and Henry smiling as he watched her meet her daughter. Henry had been first to hold the baby while they finished caring for his wife and he proudly wore the baby's tiny footprints on his arm. While reluctant to return her to the nurse, he couldn't wait to see his wife hold their sweet baby for the first time. Elizabeth's shaking arms wrapped around her tiny baby girl. "Hi." She whispered, planting a kiss to the baby's forehead as gently as she could. "She's okay?" she asked Henry quietly as she observed her daughter, nervous that something was wrong after she'd arrived early and so quickly.

"She's perfectly healthy." Henry assured her, having protectively watched her as the nurses checked everything. "Just a little small, only six pounds exactly."

"She is so tiny." Elizabeth agreed in a whisper, she hadn't remembered babies ever being that small that she had held previously. The baby snuggled her head against Elizabeth and curled her little fingers around Henry's pinky that he held out to her. "It's strange isn't it?" she pondered aloud. "How did she fit inside my belly? And earlier today she was still in there, and now she's here."

Henry laughed quietly and kissed her cheek. "It's pretty amazing. You are pretty amazing."

They couldn't take their eyes away from their baby, fascinated with every little movement or sound. At one point the baby opened her eyes for just one second, looking up at her parents and promptly yawned and went right back to sleep.

"Henry, did you see? She has blue eyes." Elizabeth smiled, fingering the soft pink cap.

"Just like yours." He agreed, kissing his wife. "She's just as beautiful as you my love."

"Do you think she looks like a Stephanie?" she asked, it was the girl's name they'd chosen, but of course they wanted to get a good look at her and make sure it fit.

"Definitely."

"Well then baby girl, I guess that is your name. Stephanie Anne McCord. I hope you like it." Elizabeth told her daughter.

When Elizabeth had finally fallen asleep, she vaguely remembered Henry staying awake all night. He had felt an immense responsibility to stay awake and watch over his girls, making sure they were both okay. He had held Stephanie all night while Elizabeth dozed on and off, constantly being interrupted and checked on by the nurses wanting to press on her stomach. She heard little rumblings from Henry as he whispered stories to Stephanie. She had no idea what he had told her that night, but it was clear that the father and daughter bond had started early, as Stevie would always favor her father.

She didn't know it but he had been telling Stephanie about how wonderful the world was, and how he couldn't wait for her to experience everything in it. He'd never been more serious about his duty as a husband and new father as he was that night; fiercely watching over his beautiful wife and tiny daughter.

The days in the hospital were hard; she couldn't get any rest with the nurses constantly coming in wanting to check her or the baby and the constant stream of visitors. She and Henry chatted on the phone with his parents and they promised to come to town as soon as they were settled at home.

Later in the afternoon her father had come, bearing a large bouquet of flowers and a cuddly pink teddy bear. "Hi sweetheart." He greeted, bending over the hospital bed to kiss her. "Feeling okay?"

She nodded, she was sore and tired but overall her happiness outweighed her pain. Elizabeth had been holding the baby when he walked in and he peered down. "Oh Lizzie, she's just perfect." He gushed over his sleeping granddaughter. "What's her name?"

Elizabeth smiled and lifted her up slightly, offering her to her father. "Say hello to your grandpa, Stephanie Anne." She said.

"Lizzie…." He said, accepting his first grandchild with tears in his eyes. It meant the world to him that they had given her the middle name Anne, after Elizabeth's mother.

*****Promises*******

The following day they were released from the hospital and Henry carefully loaded up the many gifts and flowers from their friends and family while Elizabeth carefully secured Stephanie in the car seat. She opted to sit in the back of the Jeep with her while Henry drove. He'd never driven more carefully; and glanced at them every few seconds in the rear view mirror.

When they arrived home, Elizabeth whispered into her daughter's ear as Henry held the door open for them. "Welcome home baby girl."

Henry led them into each room of their home, giving their new daughter a tour of her residence. When they finally reached the nursery, Henry took Stephanie from his wife's arms. "Ready to see it?" he asked. He'd been keeping the nursery door closed for the past 8 months. It was his surprise to Elizabeth. She hadn't yet seen the nursery and now she and Stephanie would see it for the first time.

John had stayed at the hospital for a few hours with them the previous day, allowing Henry to come home and place the finishing touches on the nursery; now that they knew the baby's gender and name and make sure the house was spotless for their arrival home. He'd also gotten groceries to sustain them a few days and even changed the sheets on their bed so Elizabeth could get some real rest.

He opened the door that contained a large pink bow tied around it. "Oh, Henry!" she gasped, tears welling in her eyes "It's perfect."

Henry stood in the center of the room rocking Stevie as Elizabeth walked around, taking in every detail. It was painted a soft mint green and had white paneling, beautiful white furnishings and a large bookcase filled with all of the classics from Dr. Suess, The Bearenstien Bears and any others you could think of.

She opened the drawers of the dresser and found all of the tiny baby clothes freshly washed and folded, diapers and wipes stacked neatly by the changing table and in the corner were two cozy, rocking lazy boy chairs with soft pink blankets draped over them.

Henry had even crafted a beautiful handmade toy box in the corner, filled with all the toys from their baby shower with all the stuffed animals sitting neatly on top of it, just waiting to be played with. Finally, Elizabeth fingered the soft blankets that lay in the crib that they had chosen together and noticed the pink letters on the wall above the crib that spelled Stephanie. Tapping her fingers to the animals that hung from the mobile she walked to her husband and kissed him. "Thank you."

He wrapped an arm around her, the other arm holding their daughter. "I'm glad you like it." He said, planting a kiss to her lips.

"It's more than I ever imagined." She admitted. "I love you."

"Love you too babe."

She pulled away and went to sit in one of the recliners, holding her arms out for her daughter. Henry handed her the baby and sat beside her in the second chair. "See why I got 2 chairs."

"Pure genius, professor."

Stephanie needed to be fed every three hours, seeing as it was nearly time for another feeding she loosened the swaddle and Henry passed her a burp cloth. "You hungry baby girl?" she asked and Stevie looked up at her with her big blue eyes. Elizabeth pulled her tank top down her shoulder to try breastfeeding. She was happy when her daughter latched on without any fussing and she leaned back, slowly rocking as Stevie ate. Henry watched in awe, and then got up to retrieve a book from the shelf.

As she burped Stevie and rocked her back to sleep, Henry quietly read them "Goodnight Moon".

When the book was done, Stevie was fast asleep and he caught Elizabeth yawning. "You should take a long nap, babe."

"But she needs to eat in another three hours." She said tiredly.

"I'll feed her." Henry offered. "We have a few bottles you pumped earlier in the fridge."

"Okay." She agreed. "But when will you sleep?"

"Come on." He said, helping her up. "I'm a Marine. I can stay up for days."

"But –"

"Stop. Your body needs rest." He said.

In their bedroom, he laid Stevie down in the bassinet they would use until she was off the 3 hour feedings and helped his wife into her pajamas. When she laid down she noticed the clean sheets. "Wow…clean sheets?"

"Just taking good care of my wife and daughter." He smiled and kissed her lips.

"You always do. I want to snuggle with you…."

Henry stripped down to his boxers and slid into bed, snuggling her as she quickly fell asleep. It was nearly 11am when she fell asleep. Luckily Stephanie slept too, and Henry managed to sleep until 1pm when he awoke for the next feeding. He slept again until 4pm when he fed the baby again while Elizabeth still hadn't moved an inch.

After the 4pm feeding he showered, changed and went to the kitchen, setting his daughter up in her carrier on the counter. "Now Stephanie, you are in for a treat. Daddy is going to cook mommy a fancy dinner and you get to watch." Stephanie made a noise and kicked her feet happily as if she was excited to see her father cook.

Henry worked quietly in the kitchen, his daughter's eyes following him as he moved about. He prepared roasted chicken, fresh garlic mashed potatoes and sautéed green beans and set the table; candles, wine and all. His wife hadn't felt good for the past 8 months and now that she was finally feeling better and up to a real meal, he wanted to surprise her celebrate the birth of their new baby.

Sometime around 6pm Elizabeth woke up to find her husband and daughter missing. She rubbed the sleep from her eyes, feeling more like herself than she had in the past 8 months and padded toward the bathroom to take a quick hot shower before going in search of her family.

On her way downstairs, he noticed Stephanie's door was open and she peered inside, watching Henry burp Stephanie before laying her in her crib and turning on the mobile so it danced above her head. She smiled as she watched how good he was with her.

"Hey, have a nice nap?" he asked her, noticing her presence, as he grabbed the baby monitor.

She nodded and leaned into kiss him. "You are a wonderful father. Thank you for letting me sleep."

"You're a wonderful mother. You took care of our baby for 8 months." He said, fingering her slight remaining bump. "The least I can do is stand duty while you nap."

She smirked and he lead her down the stairs. "You showered." He said, picking up on the faint strawberry smell of her shampoo

"So did you."

"Well you see I sort of have this date tonight."

She looked at him quizzically, and then tears sprung to her eyes as he lead her into the kitchen where she smelled the roasted chicken and saw the candle lit table. "Henry….."

"Come on, dinner's ready." He smiled at her and pulled out her chair as he pulled the food from the oven where it was being kept warm and loaded up their plates.

"Henry, this is too much. You really shouldn't have…."

"Nonsense. Now that you're feeling better I wanted to cook you a special meal and have you enjoy it. Besides. It's our first night home, as a family of three. I thought a celebration was in order." He said softly.

"I love you." She replied, clicking her wine glass to his, wondering how on earth she had gotten so lucky.

"I love you too." He said, leaning in for a soft kiss.

*****Promises*****

Elizabeth needed a break. She'd been furiously re-figuring her Baghdad report all morning. It was over 500 pages.

She eyed the brown paper bag with the cookies from Allison with the words "Mommy" and smiled.

She grabbed a refill on her coffee before setting back behind her desk and pulled the cookies from the bag. Allison had packed her several types of cookies she had made with her babysitter, Miss Janey the previous day; sugar cookies drenched in pink frosting; chocolate chip and peanut butter.

As she nibbled on the delicious cookies she eyed the various photos on her desk. There was photos of she and Henry at their wedding; photos of all her children, one of her, Henry & Stevie in Paris when she was a baby and several others. As she studied the photo of her family in Paris, she couldn't help but notice how happy they were back then. They were carefree; the memories of Desert Storm far behind them, making new ones with their baby daughter.

Then there was a photo of them taken recently; at Jason's second birthday party. She was smiling and so was Henry, but they didn't look as happy as they were in the earlier photos. It was apparent they still loved each other; but the past few years had clearly taken their toll. If she truly thought about it, she realized that their argument 2 days ago hadn't been what she was so upset about.

It had just been her breaking point. As she stared at the photo of Jason's birthday party, she realized it was just after 9/11 that it had started going so wrong.

She suddenly knew exactly what she needed to do.