"All right, Erin, I want you to give me one more large push, and then I think we'll be able to bring your daughter into the world," Doctor Heth said as his wife nodded. She grabbed hold is his hand a lot tighter than previously as she pushed as hard as she could, a low, long, groan erupting from her lips as she did so. Aaron could tell that this contraction was different, and he held his breath as he watched the doctor position herself in order to catch Vanessa. "She's here!"

There was a moment of silence in the room as they all waited for Vanessa to make her first cry, and then he heard it – a delicate, gentle, mewl that grew into a lusty cry. "Nessa," Erin breathed out as Doctor Heth handed their daughter to her, placing her in Erin's arms before getting ready to birth the placenta. Aaron turned his attention from what the doctor was doing to their daughter, seeing that she had a healthy amount of dark brown hair. "She has your hair."

"And I'm hoping that she has your eyes," her replied as he stroked Erin's hair, giving her a warm smile before looking down into Vanessa's face. "I am so glad that I was able to be here for this."

"I am, too," Erin murmured as a nurse came up to her other side. "Already?"

"Yes, ma'am. We have to get her vitals recorded and wash her. I promise, we'll return your baby as soon as we can. In the meantime, Carissa will help you get cleaned up and changed into either a fresh gown or something soft that you brought with you."

They nodded as they watched Vanessa be carried over to Doctor Heth and a gaggle of other nurses, and Aaron felt his heart catch in his throat. He hoped that everything would be all right with her, since she had been so early, but he knew that he was already in love with his youngest daughter. "What if she's too early?" Erin whispered as Carissa helped her to her feet, guiding her over to the bathroom. Aaron followed after them, digging out the nightgown that Erin had bought for this occasion as Carissa pulled off the bloody, used, hospital gown before tossing it in the biohazard bin.

It didn't take long to get Erin thoroughly washed, and then Carissa was helping his wife into the absorbent diaper that Haley had also worn after she'd given birth to Jack. "All right, I'll let your husband help you with the rest, and then he can bring you back to your bed, since I have to get it stripped and ready for you to rest in once more."

Aaron nodded at the young woman, watching her leave before turning to Erin and giving her a tender smile. "You did so good, darling," he said as he helped her into the nightgown, brushing it down her torso before helping her to her feet. She nodded against his chest as they walked back to the refreshed bed, and Erin unsteadily climbed into it before the nurse hooked her back up to the monitors. "I'll grab your blanket," he said as he rummaged through her bag.

"Thank you, darling," she tiredly replied as she settled back into the thin mattress. By the time he turned back around, their daughter was resting in Erin's arms, and she was proceeding to get Vanessa to latch on to her breast. "She's so light."

"She was actually a good birth weight for being only thirty five weeks," Doctor Heth said as she smiled at Aaron. "Six pounds, two ounces. I've delivered smaller babies than her who thrived and blossomed after a few weeks. However, I will be admitting Vanessa to the NICU for five days, because I want to monitor her initial growth and make certain that she continues to thrive outside the womb. I know that you would rather bring her right home, but this will take care of any issues that might arrive in the first few days of her life. And Erin, I'll be keeping you here for another two days, because I am still concerned about your blood pressure issues, and want to make certain that your body returns to a more normal state. And this will give you a chance to recover in a setting where we can take care of you, just in case something should happen."

They nodded in tandem as Aaron sank back down in the chair he had recently vacated. "Will I be able to spend the nights here, or not?" he asked as he reached out for Erin's hand.

"I can arrange that, yes, since this is a family room. Now, Vanessa will be able to stay here for the next two hours, to give you both time to bond with her, but then a nurse will be back to bring her up to the NICU. I know that you'd rather have her be here with you, but that's just not possible. Enjoy your time together." With a small wave, Doctor Heth left them alone with their daughter, and Aaron couldn't help but allow his face to relax into a wide smile as he reached out and stroked Vanessa's head gently.

"Either my hand is very large or her head is very small," he said quietly as he realized her head fit into the palm of his hand.

"Maybe it's a little of both," Erin replied tiredly as adjusted how she was holding their daughter. "I am going to try and get some sleep, now that she's here. As long as you're watching us, she should be fine latched on as she is. Just make certain that when she's done you burp her, to release the gas pressure. Okay?"

"Yes, Erin."

"And call the others, to let them know that she's safely here and what our next few days look like. You're better at doing all that, after all."

"Okay." She gave him another tired smile before dropping her head back onto the pillow and letting her eyes close. Within minutes, she was asleep, her arms never relaxing their hold on Vanessa as her sleep deepened. Once he was certain that he wouldn't disturb Erin's rest, Aaron pulled out his phone and made the first call.

"Aaron? Is Vanessa here? How's Mom? When can we come visit?"

He chuckled a little at Molly's barrage of questions before taking a deep breath to answer her. "Your sister is here, weighing in at a little over six pounds, and your mom is currently sleeping. I probably would be exhausted, too, after spending this much time in hospital and in labor. I am going to ask that no one visit us, not even Penelope or Alex, until we come home."

"So everything is not all right," she breathed out, sounding guilty, and Aaron shook his head, knowing that he was making a mess of things. "Aaron?"

"Doctor Heth wants Vanessa to spend a few days in the NICU to make certain that she continues to thrive and grow before she comes home, and she thinks that will take about five days. Your mother is staying here for two days, just to make sure that her blood pressure returns to normal. I know that she would love to have you and Georgia and Jack here, visiting with her, but she looks so exhausted that I selfishly want to use these two days to just let her rest and be."

"I suppose that you have a point."

Molly still sounded disappointed, and Aaron tried to think of a way to cheer her a little. "I'll talk to Doctor Heth tomorrow, and if she agrees, perhaps we can have you three and Jessica here the day after tomorrow for a little while. I just want to make certain that everything is truly okay. You and Georgia could do something for me, though."

"What's that?"

"Make certain that the nursery is ready for Vanessa. See if there's something that we overlooked, since we lost five weeks to get ready for her arrival. I know that Jessica will help, too, if you ask."

Molly made a pleased sound in the back of her throat before she agreed. "We can do that. Tell Mom and Vanessa that I love them, okay?"

"Of course, Molls. Now I need to let you go so that I can call the others and tell them the good news." They said goodbye, and Aaron ended the call to then contact Georgia.

"Aaron! Do you have good news?"

"The best. Vanessa is here, she's healthy, and your mother is resting."

"Wonderful. When can we come see her?"

He took a deep breath once more, finding it no easier to tell Erin's eldest that he didn't want visitors just yet. "I have made the executive decision to not have visitors at the hospital right now. Your mother has to be here for two more days, and Vanessa will be in the NICU for five, and I just want them both to focus on gaining strength, and in your mother's case, resting, before we start seeing people. I already told Molly that, and she seemed to understand. I asked that the two of you would work with Jessica and Jack to make certain that the nursery is ready for Vanessa to come home to, since we lost five weeks preparation time."

"I suppose that we could do that," Georgia replied, sounding just as sad as Molly had. "Not even five minutes?"

"Not right now. I promise, I will let you both know when and if that changes."

"All right. I'll wait for Molly to come over then, and we'll make certain that everything is good for Vanessa's homecoming."

"Thank you."

That phone call led to calling the others, and him having to give the good and bad news to both Penelope and Alex. He hated having everyone feel so disappointed about not being able to see Vanessa right away, but he knew that it would be better for everyone if it was that way. When all the calls were done, he plugged his phone onto the charger next to Erin's bedside and then picked Vanessa up, burping her exactly as he remembered having to burp Jack when he was this small. There was barely any indication that she had passed gas, and he chuckled a little at that, knowing that they had a precious little princess on their hands. With one hand, he adjusted the neck of Erin's nightgown so that she was covered before lifting the blanket up to cover her as he held Vanessa close to his chest. Bending in close, he kissed his wife's forehead before heading over to the bed by the window and sinking down on it.

"You're here, Nessa, and so beautiful. Now you just have to keep growing and showing us why you were so impatient to be here," he whispered as he stroked his finger down her pert little nose. A part of him swore that he could see Erin in their daughter's face, even though she was still smushed a little from her birth. "I love you already, and cannot wait to watch you grow into a powerful, intelligent, magnificent, woman like your mother is."

Vanessa let out a small yawn before cuddling in close to him, and Aaron chuckled as he stretched out on the mattress, allowing Vanessa to fall asleep on his chest as he continued to whisper his hopes and dreams for her future into her ears.