When Steve came to, nearly a half-hour had passed. He shot up off the stretcher. Did he miss it?

Laura glared at him. "My vagina is not a murder scene. You are not allowed to faint when you look at it," she growled.

He relaxed when he saw her full tummy. He smiled apologetically and came forward, placing a hand on her stomach. "I'm so sorry, my love. It just… wasn't what I was expecting. Ten centimeters is a lot…" he mused with a wise nod.

Laura frowned and looked away. "God, you are just never gonna find me sexy again," she complained.

Steve chuckled and stroked her hair. "You are the sexiest thing in the world to me. You know that," he purred.

"I'm disgusting. This whole thing is disgusting, and it's gonna get a whole lot worse," she whined.

"True, but this is also the most beautiful process in the world. You are going to be even more attractive to me when I see what this strong, perfect body can do with just a spoonful of help from me."

Laura laughed aloud. "A spoonful?" she giggled.

"Give or take," Steve shrugged. He looked at her seriously. "You have gone through so much to bring our daughter into this world. You're finally almost done, sweetheart. You are a goddess to me."

"Oh, Steve," she cooed, reaching for the back of his head. She pulled him close and kissed him warmly.

"Hey, now. We really do need to pull back on that anesthetic if you're in so little pain you're makin' out!" Dr. Walker exclaimed as she entered.

Laura laughed, and Steve blushed as they pulled apart. "No," Laura continued. "I'm definitely feeling that pressure now. It's not really painful, but I feel it. She's coming."

"That's just about where we want you with an epi," Dr. Walker confirmed. She got between Laura's legs and looked. "You are definitely fully dilated." She looked around at the nurses to confirm she had everyone she needed. Finally, she looked back up to Laura and Steve. "Let's have a baby," she grinned.

Laura and Steve looked at each other simultaneously. They were about to be parents, AND THEY HAD NO IDEA WHAT THEY WERE DOING.

The doctor noticed their expressions and laughed. "Relax, Laura. This part will feel completely natural. I'm gonna tell you when your next contraction peaks, and you're gonna bear down like you're having a bowel movement."

"Ew," she cringed, glancing up at Steve from the corner of her eye. This was all so gross! He was never going to touch her again.

"And, Steve, your job is to hold her hand and help her with the breathing exercises from your Lamaze class."

Steve grabbed Laura's hand and squeezed it tightly. "Got it!" he said confidently as he crouched closer to her intensely, happy to have a mission.

"All right," the doctor continued. There was a short pause. Then she said, "Ok, Laura. You feel that?"

"Yes," Laura replied, growing uncomfortable as she felt the contraction increase the pressure in her birth canal.

"Hold on for just a second… Ok. Push!"

But Laura was already doing it without knowing it. As she focused on it, she pushed harder, completely forgetting to breathe until she heard Steve huffing and puffing in her ear. When she was completely spent, she heard Dr. Walker cheer.

"Good! You can stop! That was great. You're ready. This is really, finally happening!"

"Oh, my God," Laura breathed.

"You ok, Sweetums?"

"Yeah. I guess."

"You did great, Laura," Dr. Walker assured her. "Just rest. You have about four minutes to rest, and then you're gonna do this all again. Can we get you a mirror?"

"Um. Thanks, but I'd rather not see how sweaty and gross I am right now," she replied.

"No, sweetie. An angled mirror to see the birth."

Laura didn't know how to respond to that. A part of her definitely didn't want to miss it, but another part of her didn't want to see it.

"Yes!" Steve exclaimed. "I don't wanna miss a thing while I'm holding your hand," he explained to Laura.

"No!" Laura replied once she remembered he would be seeing it too. "You're gonna faint! You're not going to miss the moment our child enters this world because you saw a little blood. No! No mirror," she said firmly.

"But-"

"No," Laura said.

Steve frowned but then gave in.

"Ok," the doctor continued. "No mirror." She paused for a long moment as Laura rested. Then it was time again. "Ok, Laura. Get ready… Push!"

"Anh!" Laura cried as she pushed.

"Breathe, Sweetums," Steve encouraged.

But instead, she just screamed and grunted. "Unh!" She exhaled as the contraction finally ended.

"Good," Dr. Walker encouraged. "Now rest."

"You're doing so well, sweetheart," Steve encouraged as he wiped her forehead.

"I miss not being able to feel anything below my chest," she complained, breathing as deeply as she could.

"Well, this part usually takes thirty minutes to an hour. Your contractions are five minutes apart, so you really only have to do that four more times. Ten at the most!" he exclaimed.

"Yeah, that sounds like a lot from where I'm awkwardly squatting," she grumbled, "but thanks."

Steve kissed her forehead and stroked her cheek until the next one came around.

"Push!"

At least they were finally getting the hang of this part. Push. Breathe. Rest. Push. Breathe. Rest. Push. Breathe. Rest. When an hour had come and gone, Laura had had it.

"Laura, push!" Dr. Walker ordered.

"No!" Laura exclaimed in exhaustion. "No! I can't do it anymore! I'm tired! It hurts! She's just gonna have to redecorate my womb, because she is staying in there for the rest of her God damn life!"

"Laura, your body'll do a lot of the work for you, but it'll feel better and end faster if you push. Now, push!"

"I can't!"

Steve bent over Laura so his face filled her field of vision. "Yes, you can! You're Laura Winslow, darn it! You can do anything you set your mind to, except get rid of me!"

"No, Steve," she whined as tears filled her eyes again. "No, Steve. I can't do it! Please. Make it stop. Please!"

"Sweetums, you're the only one who can make it stop! You have to push!" He turned to the doctor. "Is this normal? She can't stop now!"

"This is completely normal. She just needs a little encouragement. Laura, sweetie. I'm gonna have my nurses set up a mirror. You need to see this baby!"

Laura shook her head. "No, Steve will faint again."

"No, he won't. Will you, Steve?" Dr. Walker asked.

"Of course not, my love. I'm right here. I'm not going anywhere," he promised, squeezing her hand for reassurance.

Laura looked him in the eye. "If you faint, I'll divorce you," she threatened.

Steve's eyes widened. Certainly, she was bluffing, but that was still one hell of a risk.

"Here comes the next one, Laura," the doctor warned.

"Nooooooo," Laura whined as she felt the ring of fire down below.

"Laura, look at the mirror and push!" Dr. Walker ordered.

Laura finally forced herself to glance up. "Oh, God," she breathed.

Steve followed her eyes until he too was looking at the mirror. "Wow," he gasped.

There was a head. It wasn't out yet, but there was undeniably a human head coming out of Laura.

Without wasting another valuable second of her contraction, Laura began to push again, "Ughhhhhhhhh…" letting out a low, primal, guttural moan the entire time.

"There's the head!" Dr. Walker exclaimed as she suctioned fluid out of the baby's mouth. "I need one more big push for the shoulders, and then she's out of there."

Laura looked at that tiny head and found all the strength she needed.

Steve let go of her hand and placed his hand on her knee as he moved down to hover behind the doctor. He couldn't miss this. "Laura, push!" he encouraged as he got his first good look at his daughter's face.

"I am!" she yelled as she pushed one last time. "Oh, GOOOOOOOOOD!" she cried as the baby's shoulders slipped free and she fell straight into the doctor's waiting arms. Dr. Walker held her upside down and rubbed her back with a warm towel as they moved closer to Mom. Dr. Walker smiled as the healthy baby began to cry. She looked at Laura as she lowered her gown and laid the baby down on her bare chest.

Laura gasped as she felt her skin connect with her daughter's for the first time. She instinctively reached up to cradle her as Dr. Walker moved back. Laura felt tears come to her eyes again, but they were finally happy tears. "Hi, Quinley," Laura whispered as tears ran down her cheeks and the baby finally stopped crying.

Steve stepped back up to Laura's side. He couldn't take his eyes off of the baby. His daughter. His and Laura's daughter. She was perfect. She was everything that he'd ever imagined and more and better and perfect. Laura's eyes finally met his, and she took his breath away as she often did. She really did feel like a goddess to him in this moment. He owed her everything for bringing this angel into the world.

"You're a Daddy," Laura whispered.

Steve sniffled as he sat on the edge of her bed and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "Gee, I knew it would feel good, but I didn't think anything could feel this good."

"Yeah?" Laura asked gently. "Touch her," she encouraged.

Steve reached out gently and stroked her soft cheek. "Wow. You're right. That was even better," he sniffled. He wiped his eyes, a little embarrassed to be sobbing harder than his baby girl and his wife combined.

"Quinley," Laura whispered. "Say, 'Hi,' to Daddy."

Steve placed his hand on Laura's as she rubbed the baby's back. "Hi, Quinley," he whispered. "I'm Daddy. I'm your Daddy. I talked to you a lot when you were in Mama's tummy. I was the one with the high-pitched, nasally voice."

Laura laughed and stared up at Steve. The joy on his face was so worth it. Of course, the baby made it all worthwhile, but that joy would've done the job if Quinley couldn't have.

"Laura Lee?" Steve whispered.

"Yeah?" she asked, still grinning up at him.

"Thank you."

She puckered her lips, waiting for a kiss. He pecked her lips quickly. "You are so welcome." She looked back down at the baby on her chest. She was perfect. She was covered in blood, and her skin was wrinkly and oddly colored for the time being. Her head was compressed and pointy from the birth. She looked like a tiny old man, but she was perfect. Every inch of her was made from love. Quinley was everything Laura had ever wanted, even if she had never known that to be true before this moment.

Suddenly, Laura jumped slightly. She held the baby tighter. "Noooooo," she groaned.

"What is it?" Steve asked, leaping from the bed with concern.

"Noooo… Something's… wrong. It hurts. It hurts again," she whined. She looked back at the doctor. "Something's wrong. I can tell. You have to fix it. I'm a mom now. I can't die!"

"DIE?" Steve cried. "FIX HER NOW!" Steve shouted at the doctor.

Dr. Walker looked up from where she was sitting between Laura's legs again to deal with the chaos arising. "Laura, sweetie, relax. It's just a contraction. I need you to push again to deliver the placenta. Look at that baby and push."

Laura did as she was told. She locked eyes with Quinley and then she pushed as hard as she could.

"There. That part's usually a little easier!" Dr. Walker announced, lifting the placenta up for Steve and Laura to see.

Laura cringed and turned her head quickly when she felt Steve stumble against the bed. "Don't faint!"

"I won't!" he promised, diverting his eyes quickly back to the baby. "I won't."

Dr. Walker walked closer to Steve. "Do you wanna cut the cord, Daddy?" she asked gently, bringing the scissor-like tool closer to Steve.

He felt his knees shake, but then he looked back at the baby. "Absolutely," he agreed, accepting the tool. Following the doctor's guidance, he cut the umbilical cord.

Dr. Walker pulled the placenta away from them and let the new little family lay together for a moment as she finished what she needed to in the room. Finally, she turned to them. "This is what we call the Golden Hour. Now, Mom, you're gonna sit there with your baby lying on your chest for the next hour at least. Nurses will come in and out to run tests and to check-in. We'll send our lactation specialist in to help you breastfeed, though you're welcome to try on your own if you or Baby gets impatient. You can even invite your family in to meet her, but I don't want her leaving your chest. This skin-to-skin contact is really important for both of you right now. Dad, stay close. You'll get your turn next. Any questions?"

Laura and Steve glanced at each other, communicating silently before they both shook their heads.

"Thank you, Dr. Walker," Laura said seriously, amazed by how much gratitude she felt toward her.

"You're welcome, Mama. I'll check in with you two tomorrow," she said. "Get some sleep if you can tonight." With that, she walked out of the door.

It wasn't long before the nurses had run all of their most urgent tests and left them all alone. As the door closed behind the last nurse, Laura looked down at the baby for what felt like the millionth time. "Wow," she whispered.

"What?" Steve prompted, stroking Laura's sweaty hair with the hand wrapped around her shoulders and the baby's back with his free hand.

"This is the first time the three of us have been alone together," she replied.

Steve smiled. "I guess it is. We're officially The Urkels, family of three."

"She feels so unreal."

"My whole life has felt unreal since the day we kissed at that auction," Steve replied.

Laura looked up at him. "Oh, baby," she purred, puckering her lips. This time, she tried to kiss a little more passionately, but he insisted on pulling away far too soon.

The baby whined gently and squirmed uncomfortably, beginning to grow fussy. Laura held her closer, still gently rubbing her back.

"Do you wanna try feeding her?" Steve asked.

Laura smiled softly. "You just wanna see my boobs, don't you?" she teased.

"Laura," he scolded softly as his cheeks filled with flames. That hadn't been what he was thinking at all. This was the mother of his child!

"Yeah. We can try, but she has to latch on correctly, so when I get her situated, would you grab a nurse to make sure it's right?"

"Sure, Sweetums."

"Ok," Laura said in her baby voice. She exposed her breasts and moved Quinley closer to her nipple. "It's time to eat, baby." As she moved Quinley, the baby began to feel for the nipple instinctively. Her mouth opened, and she squirmed uncomfortably in search of it. "Come on, Quinn," she encouraged, but she still couldn't find it. "Oh, my God, I'm a terrible mother," she blurted suddenly.

Steve laughed and snorted. "You are not, mama bear. Relax," he instructed. "Just stroke her cheek on this side, remember?" he asked, stroking her left cheek.

Quinley turned slightly, moving back toward Laura's nipple.

Laura jumped slightly as she felt her tiny mouth finally land on it. "Whoa. Ok… Um… Ok. Ow. Ow ow ow ow–"

Steve quickly stuck his pinky finger between Laura's breast and the baby's mouth. "Bad latch," he explained. "Try again."

With little intervention, Quinley tried again. She moved her head from side to side as Laura squirmed slightly. When she found the nipple again her tiny tongue licked it slightly before she latched again, this time pulling much more of the breast into her mouth. Then she began to suck strongly. Laura was amazed such a tiny thing could do that with so much force.

"Do you feel it yet? Is she getting it?" Steve asked.

"Yeah," Laura replied. "I think so."

"Is your uterus contracting?"

"Yes," Laura whined, placing a free hand on her lower abdomen.

Steve leaned down and kissed her forehead. "Look at her, sweetheart. I know I have no clue how badly this all hurt or how uncomfortable you still are now, but look at her, Laura. You created a life."

"We created a life," she corrected.

"You can give me credit after that birth amnesia kicks in. You created a life, and now you're sustaining a life," he praised. "You truly are a goddess."

Laura looked down at the baby and smiled. "Thank you, Steve," she said. She looked up at him, making it clear she meant for much more than the compliment.

He leaned down and kissed her forehead again, taking a long moment to watch the miracle before him. Then he took a deep breath and walked toward the door. "I'm gonna grab a nurse, ok?"

"Yeah, ok," she agreed, not taking her eyes off of the baby as her tiny hand reached up to grip the breast.

When Laura heard the door close, she took a deep breath and looked around the room, then back at Quinn. "Wow," she breathed. "So this is the first time we've been alone, huh?" She waited for a response and then remembered one wasn't coming. There was just a repetitive sucking sound. "I guess I used to talk to you when you were in my belly, but this is different. You're like a tiny person now." Laura smiled. "This is so weird," she laughed, "but I guess I'll get used to it, right? I'm gonna have to, being that I gave up everything for this. I gave up my career to stay home and be alone with you. I gave up everything that was just mine. So you better be worth it, kid!" Laura stared at her quietly for a long moment. "Daddy is so happy," she said as she teared up. "I never thought I could see him happier than he was when the doctor confirmed I was pregnant, but then he saw your first sonogram. Then we found out your gender. You started to kick. Every new thing you do makes him so much happier, but I think this is it. You're here now. He'll never be happier than this." She reached a freehand up to wipe her tears. "Oh, who am I kidding? He gets happier every day," she laughed. She stroked Quinley's cheek gently. "You have the best dad in the world. You know that, right? I'm gonna have a hard time figuring out how to be a good mom for you, but your dad is ready for this. I've done the big cousin thing and over the past few years, the big sister thing, but this Mom thing is totally new to me. Your dad, I think, has just spent so many hours of his life fantasizing about a life with me and you that I think he's already a few years ahead of me. He's nervous. I can tell he's been nervous, especially over the last few weeks. He's really afraid he's gonna mess you up somehow, but he won't. I know he won't. He has been a dad to you pretty much since the day he met me. He was just waiting for you to come along."