A/N: It's Chriiiiiiiiiiistmassssssssss! Lol. Now, are we going to get a Christmas miracle or misery? I wonder if I can paint Evil hat red and green, he's been gone for a while…hmmm….

Almost done now. One more chapter to come, maybe two. Although, myself and my great beta calim have been chatting about a sequel. So, you never know. We may get a brand new story to follow on from this. Maybe. And if it happens it may very well be something spectacular. Lol.

Thanks so much for all your continued support and please give me your final pieces of feedback through these last chapters.

Let's hope for that miracle…

Chapter 178

As quickly as their feet would allow them to move in the snow, Grissom, Sara and Ecklie hurried to the outer stable. Upon reaching the building, they spotted several workers near the stable door. They all seemed edgy.

"How's she doing?" Ecklie asked them.

The youngest man shook his head. "Sorry, sir, but we don't know," he admitted. "After you left, Dante wasn't very accommodating. We had to run out of there before he stomped us to death."

No hesitation crossing his mind, Grissom headed for the door and slipped inside, Sara close on his heels. Expecting to face a rampaging stallion, he was surprised to find a quiet Dante backing out of Pandora's stall, sending a worried whinny his way.

"Hey," Grissom whispered softly, reaching up to rub between Dante's ears, receiving another whiny.

Looking to his right, Grissom saw Pandora lying flat out. His stomach clenched, horses rarely took that position unless they were in distress. He returned his attention to Dante.

"I know you're hurting," he began, "but you need to behave. I'm here now but you need to let others help because I may need assistance. You got that?"

Snorting, Dante rubbed his nose against Grissom's shoulder, receiving a pat along his neck for his efforts.

"I swear I will do everything I possibly can to make sure she's okay."

Snorting quietly, the horse stepped back and Grissom did his best to smile, sidestepping to enter the stall.

"It will be okay, boy," Sara encouraged, giving Dante a pat, watching as her husband knelt by Pandora.

Quickly removing his right glove, Grissom's eyes wandered over her midsection, watching as it expanded and fell vigorously.

"Hey, girl," he whispered, running his hand very carefully over her belly. "Rumor has it you are about to have a Christmas baby. Is that right?" Pandora's front foot twitched a little, a very quiet snort leaving her nose. "Okay," Grissom soothed, stroking her neck, noting it was warm and damp. "Just keep nice and still. You don't have to move but I need to take a look at you, all right? If your baby is coming then I need to get both you and me prepared for it." She snorted again and Grissom gave her another stroke. "Just keep nice and calm," he whispered.

Pushing himself up, he took a step back, pausing when he heard the captain.

"Gil?"

Grissom looked at Dante whose attention immediately shifted toward the voice. Sara backed out of the stall and waved toward her father.

"Is it safe to approach?" he called.

"Um…," she mumbled, turning back to Dante who merely nodded. Smiling, she stroked his neck. "Yes, Father," she called back. "Come on in."

The captain, along with Ecklie, hurried towards the stall, both coming to a quick stop when Dante snorted at him.

"Easy there, big fella," the captain urged, holding up a hand.

"He's okay," Sara reassured her father, stroking the horse again. "He's more scared than anything."

Nodding, the captain leaned against the stall door. "So, what's the verdict?"

"Shouldn't you be heading to church?" Grissom asked, removing his other glove and tucking both of them into his belt.

Rubbing his chin, the captain smirked. "Right now, God's house is right here. Do as to him as he would do unto you." Grissom's eyebrows rose. "I don't think you would be leaving me in this predicament. Family is the most important thing. God will understand that." Grissom smiled, touched by the captain's words. "So, where are we?"

"We were about to check Pandora for impending signs of foal," Grissom replied.

The captain nodded again. "Any initial first impressions?"

Shifting towards Pandora's hind legs, Grissom crouched again, watching as she finally moved, ever so slightly, lifting her head to look at him.

"Well, she's sweating," Grissom answered, carefully lifting one of her back legs to run his hand underneath. "Her udder looks more swollen than it has been and…" Moving his hand to the teats, he gently brushed his fingertips over them. "Waxy fluid," he noticed. He looked to his right noticing something else. But he didn't want to mention that just yet.

"Telltale signs of labor," Sara concluded.

Looking at her, Grissom nodded. "Yeah," he agreed, nipping down on his lip as Dante whined again.

Sara stroked him some more, her eyes flicking between her husband and Pandora. "What are you thinking?" she asked.

Giving Pandora a tender pat, he pushed himself up. "I'll be right back," he assured her, grinning slightly at her small snort. Moving toward Dante he stroked his neck. "I just need a moment," he told him before nodding to Sara and the captain then mouthing 'outside'.

They followed him out of the stable, watching as he looked up at the white sky and inhaled deeply.

"Do you think she's going to make it?" Sara said, her voice soft and shaky.

Looking right at her, he took her hand. "My concern right now is that she's already lying down. Horses don't usually lie down until after their water has broken. That hasn't happened yet."

Sara looked even more nervous now. "So, she's having problems."

"Maybe. I'm not one hundred percent sure yet."

"Can the foal even survive coming this early?" she dared ask.

Knitting his brows together, he debated with how he would answer that particular question. He wanted to be positive for Sara's sake but he also wanted to be honest. There was no predicting anything when it came to humans or animals giving birth.

"I wish I could answer that but I can't," he sighed. "A lot will depend on the foal's condition when it's born. For now, we just have to concentrate on Pandora and getting her through this."

"The easier the birth, the more chance the foal will have," Ecklie added, stepping away from the group.

Grissom nodded. "I suspect the foal is breach. That's why she's lying down. She could've tried moving around to reposition it which could've caused a lot of pain. Being off her feet is easier for her."

Sara's mouth popped open. "If the foal is in the wrong position then it has to be moved."

"Messy but not something I haven't done before," Grissom conceded. "We won't be able to find out until her water breaks and the foal starts to show though."

"Conrad and I will organize what we need," the captain said.

"Thanks," Grissom answered. "Just don't come rushing back in too quickly, okay? Just in case. Last thing we need is Dante spooking."

"We won't," the captain reassured, nodding to Ecklie as the two men hurried towards the small group of waiting workers.

Grissom tugged on Sara's hand and headed back into the stable only to stop at the tack room to grab a couple of blankets from the stack on a shelf.

"We need to keep her as warm as we can," he said.

Nodding, Sara took one from him then stopped as she noticed he was staring at her. "What?" she questioned.

"Are you okay?" he asked affectionately.

Smiling weakly, she gave a short nod. "Yeah," she sighed. "Kind of. I don't know." Her head shook now. "It's just…the thought of losing her, especially after I lost Melissa. What if the foal doesn't make it…"

Before she could finish, he silenced her with a kiss. Breaking the kiss, he rested his forehead against hers. "I will do all I can. You know that right?"

"I know," she whispered. "And, hopefully, today being the day it is, we might get a little help from above."

"Let's hope so."

Smiling, she tucked the blanket under her arm and retook his hand. "Let's do this."

Rushing back toward Pandora's stall, they found Dante licking her neck.

"Hey, Buddy," Grissom greeted as Dante looked up. "Want to scoot over a little so I can make her a bit more comfortable? And then we can see about getting to your baby."

Snorting, Dante took a few steps to the side and Sara was thankful this was a double sized stall otherwise things would be getting very cramped.

Kneeling, Grissom gave Pandora's neck a stroke, noticing she still hadn't moved and dropped a blanket over her back. "That's just to keep you warm for a minute, okay?" Pandora snorted and Grissom smiled, rubbing between her ears before holding his hand out for the second blanket from Sara. "Help me lift her head will you?"

Quickly nodding, Sara crouched, helping her husband to gently lift Pandora's head before placing the blanket underneath and lowering it back down.

"Do you mind if I have another feel around, girl?" Grissom asked. The horse gave a soft snort so Grissom took that as a positive response. "Good girl," he praised, running his hand over her side, dropping it to her belly. He started gently pressing before increasing the pressure as he got further back towards her hind legs and then swiftly pulled his hand back as her back leg kicked out and she whined. "Sorry, girl," he apologized. "Did that hurt?" She whined again. "Okay," Grissom soothed, stroking her again. "Did it hurt before, is that why you decided to lie down to relieve the pressure?"

Raising her head this time, Pandora began to nod only to stop when her back legs spasmed. Dropping her head back to the blanket, a sudden gush of liquid spewed from between her legs.

Grissom pushed himself up, his gaze falling on Dante as he stepped closer, a whine beginning to sound.

"It's okay, boy," he soothed, patting Dante's neck. "Her water just broke that's all. It's just the first step."

Dante snorted just as voices were heard and Grissom glanced to the doorway.

"We're coming in," the captain called.

Sara and Grissom glanced back to Dante and he bobbed his head.

"Okay," Grissom shouted back, shifting to the end of the stall and grabbing a hay bale.

Placing it down by Pandora he began pulling bits off. Sara stepped forward and helped him, both spreading the hay around to catch the liquid that was still coming.

The captain stepped into the stall, a bag in his hand. "Blankets, scissors and a knife," he said, holding out the bag to Grissom.

"Thanks," Grissom answered, taking the bag and placing it down.

"Conrad put water outside the stall. There are also towels and more blankets," the captain continued.

Ecklie poked his head into the stall. "Anything else I can do?"

Grissom shook his head. "No, thanks. It's getting a bit crowded in here. If I need you I'll holler."

"Sure," Ecklie agreed, glancing down to Pandora. "Good luck."

Nodding, Grissom crouched down near Pandora's tail paying little attention to the mess.

"See anything?" the captain asked.

"No," he answered. "Not yet. We should see the sack within 20 minutes or so but I think my suspicion about the foal being breach may be correct."

Pandora snorted again as if she was already confirming his thought. Standing, Grissom removed his coat and handed it to Sara.

"I think she's telling you you're right," Sara said. He nodded. "Are you taking her word for that?"

"She hasn't lied to me yet," he answered as he walked around Pandora then knelt in front of her and stroked between her ears. "If I'm going to move that little one I'm going to need you on your feet. Do you think you can get up, girl?" Her tongue snaked out and licked his arm. He smiled. "I'll take that as a yes. Just take your time, okay?"

Joining his wife and the captain near the stall door, Grissom felt Dante brush up against his shoulder and turned to him, trying his best to offer a reassuring smile.

"You can wait next door you know," he told him, rubbing his nose. "Might be easier for you." Dante shook his head and Grissom nodded, understanding completely.

"She's moving," Sara whispered as Pandora began to stir.

First her hind legs moved and then her front, her body rocking for a few seconds. To everyone's surprise, she was soon up in one swift motion. Grissom quickly removed the blankets and tossed them into a corner.

Sara smiled, stepping up to her horse. "Impressive, girl," she praised, passing his hand over her nose. It felt very dry. "Thirsty?" she asked and Pandora snorted. "Thought so. We need to keep you hydrated. Do you think you can drink some water before Gil takes a look at you?"

Pandora snorted and Sara glanced at her father. Leaning outside the stall, he picked up one of the buckets and set it down in front of the horse. Slowly, she lowered her head and began to drink.

"Good, girl," Sara soothed as she stroked her neck, watching out of the corner of her eye as her husband began rolling up his shirt sleeves.

"Are you going to need my help, Gil?" the captain asked. "This could get tricky."

Grissom's eyes flicked to the captain. "Only room for one of us in there," he answered. "Just keep your eye on her and try and make sure she keeps still."

"Okay, I'll do my best."

Turning to Dante, Grissom took hold of his face and looked deeply into his eyes. "If you're remaining here you need to stay put, you hear me? This won't be pleasant but it must be done for Pandora and her foal. I need to concentrate so no interrupting. Do you understand?"

Dante gave him a simple nod prompting Grissom to kiss his muzzle.

"I think she's ready, Gil," Sara said.

Turning his attention back to Pandora, he watched as Sara stroked her horse's neck then blew out a breath.

"Let's see what's going on," he muttered, heading back in and lifting her tail.

Taking a good look, he spotted the sack now coming through her vulva. He could wait to see if the foal actually was in the wrong position but his gut was telling him it was. He trusted Pandora.

Positioning his feet apart, he mentally prepared himself for the task at hand because there were no guarantees this was going to work. But he had to try.

"Ready, girl?"

After she snorted confirmation, Grissom raised his right hand and very slowly inserted it inside her.

Pandora immediately sidestepped, a quiet screech hitting everyone's ears. Sara quickly held onto her neck while the captain tried to get a grip on her side.

"It's okay," Sara tried to soothe. "It will be over soon."

Grissom's brow pinched in concentration as he slowly edged in deeper. Thick streams of smelly liquid ran down his arm causing him to breathe through his mouth instead of his nose. A stench that close was enough to make the best of men gag.

Hearing Dante whine, he flicked his gaze toward him, surprised when he turned around to stare out of the stall. Grissom couldn't really blame him. More than once since the birth of Thomas, the remembered screams he'd heard through their bedroom door had awakened him, leaving him trembling.

Shaking his head, he forced himself to focus on the task at hand. Reaching a bit further, he stopped when he felt something firm at the end of his fingertips.

"Doing well, girl," he strained to say.

Pushing in a little more until almost his entire arm was out of sight, he felt what he suspected was the back of the foal. It was too broad and firm to be anything else.

"I think I got it," he said, turning his head away for a second in an attempted to get some air that didn't smell quite so bad.

"Good, girl," Sara whispered, her hands continuing to stroke and comfort her horse. "Almost there."

"What are you feeling?" the captain asked.

Grissom moved his fingers around, the sack enveloping him. "Backbone. I think anyway."

The captain's right eye twitched in thought. "Then it's breeched. Can you turn it?"

"I hope so," Grissom answered, gliding his hand around in an attempted to find a leg. If he did that, he could move the foal into a better position.

Pandora screeched again, another batch of liquid gushing from her and down Grissom's arm.

"I know this isn't easy," Sara began, "But I don't know how much more she can take."

"Okay," Grissom breathed, his heart rate kicking up a notch. "If I can just move it a little then maybe we can get her walking around and she can do the rest herself."

Swallowing hard, Sara glanced back into Pandora's eyes, her heart catching in her throat at the pain she saw there. "I really hope so. I really, really do."

CSICSICSICSICSICSICSI

Nearly five minutes later, Grissom's hand slipped over one of the foal's hooves.

"Got it," he announced.

Tugging on it, he could feel the foal move ever so slightly, hoping it would be enough to give it a fighting chance. Slowly, withdrawing his arm, he stepped back and watched Pandora. She heaved a heavy breath then snorted, glancing back at him.

"Okay," he said. "Let's hope that'll get things moving." Taking the towel the captain offered, he wiped down his arm. "I'm just going to have a quick wash outside."

Sara did her best not to screw up her nose at the state of him. "Try not to be too long."

"I won't," he replied. "Walk her around a little." Giving Pandora a pat with his clean hand, he looked her in the eye. "You know your body and you know where your baby is sitting. With a little coaxing and movement you should be able to move it into the right position now but don't dally. It won't be too long before that little one is coming out." Pandora snorted her agreement and Grissom smiled. "I'll be right back."

Rushing outside, he quickly pumped water into a bucket and scrubbed at his arm. He shivered. This was not the most ideal weather conditions for a quick outdoor wash but that was the least of his worries. On his way back inside, he grabbed a towel from the tack room and rushed into the stall seeing Pandora, once again, lying down, Dante pushing his nose into her belly.

Sara looked over her shoulder. "I think it's time," she told him as he stepped closer.

Rubbing his hands on the towel and then throwing it down, Grissom glanced back at the horses. "Did she manage any moving?"

"Oh, yeah," Sara confirmed. "She's been up and down about four times. Even rolled over at one point. Lord knows how. But I think she's a lot happier than she was."

Without warning, Pandora groaned so loudly, all three onlookers shivered and Sara blinked.

"Maybe I spoke too soon," she admitted.

Shaking his head, Grissom patted Dante. "Out the way," he requested.

Giving a little shriek of his own, Dante rubbed his nose into Grissom's shoulder before stepping back.

"I don't think you spoke too soon," he continued, lifting Pandora's tail to see the sack protruding and a tiny foot poking out. "She probably did manage to move the little one and alleviated the pressure but now is going to be the most painful and crucial time. The baby is coming…"

A/N: I have to say throughout my writing I do have to do some very bizarre research. The birth of a horse comes very much into that category and I have one word for you. ICKY! :P