"Danny, stop pacing everything will be fine. I promise you. Abbey is the best doctor I've ever known. CJ will be just fine." Carol said. Danny stopped pacing and looked at the door behind which lay his screaming wife. Inside the room Abbey Bartlet was standing over the bed that CJ was laying on 2 years later. 2 long years since she left the White House, but that wasn't in the usual place in her mind at that particular moment.
"Carol, Kate!" Abbey yelled. "Can you get in here!" Carol pushed the door ajar and Kate slipped in promptly followed by Carol who pulled the door shut hastily behind her.
"Abbey, what is it?" Kate asked.
"I just need people there to hold her hand and Danny can't come in here while it's going on and you're her closest friends I thought you'd be the best people for the job." Abbey muttered. Another scream came from the bed. Carol and Kate took their places on the left and right of the bed.
"Who decided this was a good idea?" CJ groaned.
2 hours later the door was just pushed open by Carol so no one could see inside the room.
"So, how is she?" Danny asked anxiously.
"Come see for yourself." Carol said with a sly smile as she skulked back into the room. Danny pushed the door all the way open to reveal Kate and Abbey, now joined by Carol, leaning over the bed were an exhausted CJ lay smiling wearily.
"Well Claudia Jean, Daniel, congratulations you've got a daughter." Abbey addressed CJ and Danny. Still stood at the door Danny broke into a smile then walked quickly over to CJ.
"Well done Claudia." Danny whispered to her and she smiled as Danny planted a kiss on her cheek then her lips.
"We've got a daughter Danny!" An exhausted CJ said.
"What shall we name her?" Danny asked.
"Naming can wait. Poor CJ's exhausted" Abbey said ignoring the general grumbling of the boys. "No, out Claudia Jean here needs sleep." The boys shuffled out on after the other followed last by Danny who kissed CJ once more and then swiftly kissed Abbey on the cheek. "Thank you, so much Abbey." Danny whispered in her ear. Abbey smiled in response and Carol shut the door behind the boys.
Danny, Josh and Toby all congregated in the living room where they had all already spent many hours waiting for news, since Abbey had said their pacing outside the door was not helping.
"Well, congratulations Danny." Toby said. "Do you have any beer around here?"
"Only non-alcoholic. CJ couldn't drink so I felt guilty drinking myself." Danny said with a sad smile.
"Well, I have some in my car." Everyone spun around to see Kate and Carol standing at the door. "Abbey is sitting with her. Carol is going to swap after an hour then I am going up after Carol's hour. Abbey will get some sleep after her hour. So beer?" Kate finished. A rumble of agreement spread round the room.
"I'll help carry." Said Carol following Kate out to the car. They grabbed 6 beers out the boot and returned to the house.
"Aren't you having a beer?" Toby asked.
"No, we having some of CJ's wine." Carol replied. As she said this Carol looked over at Danny who hadn't moved and was absentmindedly sipping at his beer that he'd pulled out of the fridge, still refusing to drink alcohol since CJ still couldn't, and staring into space.
""Danny. Are you ok?" Kate questioned.
"I think I'm going to go check on CJ. I'll be back soon." With that Danny stood up and walked up the stairs to their room in a trance like state. Up to where his darling wife CJ lay.
Danny tapped the door gently and then waited for Abbey.
"Can I come in?" Danny asked in a whispered tone. "Please I just need to see her. I just need to see my Claudia, Kiss her, comfort and calm her. Please Abbey."
"Alright." Abbey quietly said reluctantly after a pause. "But not too long she woke back up just after Carol and Kate left. I had a job getting her back to sleep. But she woke up again 5 minutes ago. So a quick visit then she is going back to sleep. Do you understand?" Abbey instructed.
"How about after I am done I get you a glass of that red wine Carol and Kate have opened, CJ's wine. Non-alcoholic of course." Danny offered.
"Sounds lovely Danny." Abbey said with a smile. "I'm just going to catch up with Jed. 10 minutes Danny I'm counting." With that Abbey went downstairs.
Danny pushed the bedroom door open and found CJ staring out the window.
"Hey." Danny said quietly trying not to startle her.
"Oh, hey." CJ responded.
"Are you alright." Danny said while walking to sit on the edge of the bed. CJ twisted to lay on her back and looked into his eyes. Danny instinctively pushed CJ's hair out from her eyes and softly talked "Well done my sweet, gorgeously beautiful Claudia Jean. We have a daughter and it's all thanks to you."
"How long can you stay?" CJ asked knowing Abbey wouldn't let him stay long.
"10, 15 minutes but Abbey's phoning Jed now so how ever long that takes."
"Ok." CJ sadly smiled with a sigh.
"Well," Danny kissed her "you should sleep…Like Abbey told you too." CJ groaned.
"Oh, but it's so lonely without you next to me." CJ replied with a sad smile. "that's why I can't sleep because it's so weird."
"Hey, hey, Cee come here." Danny pulled CJ into a hug. "It's ok. I'll speak to Abbey then I'm sure I could stay next to you while you get some sleep it means that some of the others can get some sleep as well."
"What time is it?" CJ asked with a yawn snuggling deeper into the bed and pulling Danny closer.
"One o'clock in the morning. I'm going to go tell Abbey the plan." Danny said detaching CJ from him with reassurances that he would be back and assuring her that their daughter was being well looked after.
"Kathryn." CJ muttered. Danny turned around.
"I'm sorry?" Danny asked for he had not heard.
"What do you think of Kathryn Gail Cregg-Concannon?" CJ repeated louder. Danny smiled and laughed "I love it." He replied and with that he left the room.