Thank you to everyone who has reviewed. I've had a really great time writing this story. I am very sorry that it has taken me this long to update with the fourth and final chapter.

My work life sort of exploded on me. We have been short staffed for months but it got even worse when someone took a Leave Of Absence (during a black-out period, second year in a row - GRR!), leaving only myself and two others in our department. Unfortunately one of the other people I work with became ill and just recently came back to work, and now the other person is ill...so things have been hectic and tiring there.

There's also been the lack of Dawsey goodness lately. I know there is only so much time in each episode, but I'm really starting to think that there are so many characters that they are struggling to find a balance with what stories to tell. There have been a handful of times since the miscarriage I've though "Oh! This is the perfect opportunity for them to have a scene about the loss of their baby..." and then I wait. And wait. Nothing ever happens, which is leaving me disenchanted. There are certain "new" characters I'm just not particularly caring for and can't bring myself to get invested into their current story arcs...so I've now resorted to having Chicago Fire marathons from the beginning of the show...it's a blessing and a curse because now I have more story ideas (and not enough time to really flesh them out at the moment!).

Anyway, that's my rant. I may start to work on other short stories to scratch the creative itch that I feel like the writers are missing.

Without further delay, here's the final part. I hope it's enjoyable!

Gabby's POV

I slowly wake up from my peaceful slumber. I'm exhausted and sore but blissfully happy. When I realize how quiet the master bedroom is, my eyes flutter open and slowly adjust to the dark room. Looking over to the left, the dim glow of the alarm clock allows me to see that Matt isn't in the bed next to me. Reaching over, I feel the exposed sheets. Cold to the touch. I look to my right at the bassinet that Matt set up on my side of the room. It's empty.

It takes me a minute to get out of our warm, soft bed. The doctor told us that it would take a few days for the post-birth tenderness to dissipate to the point where I could move around without a lot of discomfort. I just have to tough it out until then.

I make my way across the hall and peer into the nursery. It's empty. Not particularly surprising. Even though it's finished, we've agreed that the only thing it'll be used for will be diaper changing and clothes. For at least the first month, anyway.

I can see a dim glow coming from the living room on the main floor so I start to descend the stairs. I'm going to have to get Matt to bring a few more things from the second floor to the main floor so I don't have to go back and forth too many times through out the day. When I finally hit the bottom stair, I catch a small glimpse of Matt's reflection in a mirror hung on the wall, so I know exactly where to find him.

Quietly, I make my way over to the living room and stand in the doorway. I smile and rest my head against the frame.

Matt is sitting on the couch, one arm propped up on the side, resting his head against the back of the cushions. He has the faintest smile tugging on his lips as he's watching our son who is nestled protectively in the crook of his elbow. His right hand is hovering on the side of little Noah, his small fist tightly holding on to Matt's pinky finger.

It's quite possibly the sweetest sight I've ever seen.

"Watching your mommy bring you into this world was terrifying and exhilarating," he whispers. I can hear him, but barely. "Every day, I fall in love with her more than I ever thought possible. Then I watched her bring you into this world and I'm pretty sure my love for her increased ten-fold. I have no idea how she did it. I sure as hell couldn't have. Sorry, buddy, I'm going to work on this whole not cursing thing. Or at least, not in front of you. Might take me some time."

I chuckle from the door, then cover my mouth, hoping he hasn't heard me.

"I don't think I've ever been as proud of her as I have been these last twenty four hours. And she's given me a lot of reasons to be incredibly proud, so that's really saying something." He stops talking and seems to be thinking intently. "Huh. That's pretty much how old you are now, you know. Twenty four hours. It's already going by fast. Next we're going to be saying how many days old you are. Then weeks. Months. Years." He shakes his head, apparently not liking that idea. "Don't grow up too quickly, alright? It's not that I don't want to find out what your personality will be, or your sense of humor... I just want to enjoy this. We both do. It's special. One day, far in the future - if your mommy has it her way, we'll be in a nursing home - you'll know exactly how I feel right now, in this moment. You'll have a family of your own."

Matt moves his hand that our son is clinging to, his little arm moving with Matt's movements, refusing to let go. "But that's in many, many years. You have to enjoy your childhood. Don't be in a rush to grow up. It happens soon enough. Believe me. As kids, we wished away our childhoods thinking that it'd be so great to be an adult...then it happened and we all just wanted to go back in time. It's not so bad. Being a kid, I mean."

"So you miss being a kid?" I ask softly, stepping further into the room. At the sound of my voice, Matt looks over and smiles.

"Spying on us, were you?" He looks back to Noah. "Life lesson number one - women hear everything. Especially your mommy."

I ease myself slowly down onto the couch beside Matt and our son. "Answer my question," I smirk. "You miss being a kid?"

"Everyday," he smiles. "But now I get the next best thing. I get to watch this one grow up."

"My mom keeps saying there's nothing better than experiencing life through a child's eyes," I reach over and gently touch Noah's onesie-clad foot that he's kicked out from under the blanket. I feel Matt's eyes on me so I look over to him.

"You know the best part of it is?" He smiles. "We get to do it together."

I feel the tears welling up in my eyes again. "Yeah," I agree, but it's more of a whisper. I laugh and let out a shaky breath. "Hormones." Matt chuckles. "You know, it's crazy. Looking at him. He's finally here."

"You did good, babe," he smiles.

"No," I tell him. "We did good. Just look at him. He's perfect."

We both look down at Noah and he stretches a little in Matt's arms. He makes a few discontent noises and then starts to fuss a little.

"It might be time for his next feeding," Matt tells me.

I nod and adjust myself on the couch, reaching up to undo to the buttons on my sleep shirt. I grab a throw pillow and use it to prop up my arm and when I think I'm good, Matt gently places our son into my arms, nestling his little head into the crook of my elbow.

Matt's POV

I watch as Gabby instinctively slips her hand behind our sons head and brings him closer to her breast to, I assume, latch on better.

"That's it," she whispers. Our son is looking up at her, mesmerized. She's glowing.

The sight of her breast, in any other situation, would get me all hot and bothered. Right now, in this situation, watching her feed our son, I swear I can feel my heart swelling with pride. A day ago, our lives were so different. It was still just the two of us. Now it's three.

"You're amazing."

She looks over at me, somewhat confused, but amused. "Why?"

I chuckle, tears springing to my eyes. I can't even blame hormones. "You say we did a good job, but it's you Gabby. You put your body through hell so this little guy could be here. And now that he is..." I laugh, but it's not because something is funny. It's because I'm awe-struck. "You are a natural. I see the way he looks at you. He knows you."

"He knows you too," she assures me softly. "When you went to get your sister and Violet from the waiting room at the hospital, I was just watching him in my arms. His eyes followed you. When you came back, I told you he smiled when he saw you." She smiles at the memory.

"The nurse said that was gas," I chuckle.

"I don't believe that," she tells me, a glimmer in her eyes. "We're a team, Matt. If you think I'm amazing, it's because you supported me and made me feel safe. There were a few times that I figured I was in over my head. I felt like an alien had invaded my body."

"You never told me that," I'm surprised. Maybe I shouldn't be, but I am.

She shakes her head and smiled slightly. "I didn't know how to tell you what I was feeling. I honestly didn't know how to put it into words. But in those moments that I was so overwhelmed and ready to fall apart, you seemed to sense it. That's the only explanation I have for it... You would just come sweeping into the room and you'd do something sweet, like bring home a bouquet of my favorite flowers, or pick up two pints of ice cream instead of just one. You would tell me I was the most beautiful woman in the world -"

"You are."

"See? Just like that. You would say it and I knew you meant it. Something that comes so natural to you would just calm me down somehow. You would say or do something that would focus me." She looks down at Noah and her eyes meet his. I watch them and my heart is so happy and full that I feel like I could just burst. "I'm the luckiest woman in the world," she continues. I have the most perfect and healthy baby boy in my arms and a husband who is already the best Daddy."

Daddy. People have been calling me that all day. All the guys from 51, our families, the nurses at the hospital, Gabby. I chuckle. "I really am a Daddy now, aren't I?"

Gabby smiles and a small laugh escapes her lips. "And I'm a Mommy."

I smile and move to sit closer to her. "It's been a long time coming." She leans forward slowly, careful of Noah who is still feeding. I take her hint and move my arm around her. She slowly moves back and snuggles into me, her head resting against my chest.

"He's tired," I say softly watching Noah's eyes close, reaching out to run my finger down his cheek.

Gabby nods against my chest, attempting to conceal a yawn. "Aren't you?"

I chuckle. "I didn't know tired could feel this good."

Gabby laughs softly. "I'll remind you of that in a year."

"Please do," I challenge, resting my head on top of Gabby's. "Thank you for giving me the best Christmas gift of my life."

Gabby chuckles softly. "No trouble at all."

I laugh. "So...how are you going to top it next year?" She moves her head out from under my chin and looks up at me with a twinkle in her eye and I'm sure a smart ass comment is on the tip of her tongue. I hold up my one hand that is not nestled behind her. "It's only fair. I have to top our anniversary year after year so now you get to top Christmas year after year."

"I guess it'll all depend on what you get me for our anniversary," she smirks and then leans her head back against my chest.

It's not long before we're all sleeping soundly, cuddled together. Our little family.

One year later, Christmas Eve

Gabby's POV

Matt and I both tip toe down the stairs as quietly and quickly as possible. We make a beeline for the couch and both throw ourselves onto the comfy cushions in complete exhaustion.

"Well, I'd say that Noah's first birthday party was a success," Matt mumbles, his eyes slipping shut.

"Never in a million years did I think we'd have a kid with Christmas Eve as a birthday," I sigh. "We may have to celebrate on a different day next year."

"May?" Matt looks at me with one eye open. "I said that we need to do that this year." I shake my head almost violently. He holds one hand up in mock surrender. "I know, I know. There's only one first birthday."

"That's right!" I said a little louder than what I had intended. I cringe a little and look to the monitor, praying that Noah didn't hear me and wake up.

Matt smirks. "And here I was worried about all the sugar Noah was ingesting. I should've been paying more attention to how much you had."

"Shut up," I giggle, tossing a throw pillow at him. Then I look around at the mess and groan. "I have to clean this up," I say and move to stand, but Matt stops me and pulls me back into his side.

"Just leave it," he whispers to me. "We've been going non-stop all day. Rest for a minute."

It was true. I had run a few errands this morning, stopping to grab the cake on the way home and then we'd started with the final prep before the afternoon party. There were a lot of Noah's friends from our Mommy and Me class, friends from the park, the neighborhood kids as well as Chris and Cindy's kids, Violet and all the nieces and nephews on my side of the family. And of course our family and friends.

So many people had been coming and going all day, celebrating with us. The last of our guests left at seven and we immediately set out to get back into our normal nightly routine. Matt started piling the trash into hefty bags and I immediately put Noah in the bath, washing him of all the sticky icing he'd managed to get almost all over his hands and face, and even on his tummy. Matt had heard my laughter echoing from the bathroom as I watched Noah splash happily in the bath water, bubbles flying everywhere. He'd stopped cleaning up and come to join us in the bathroom, kneeling down to play with Noah and his tug boats. Then it was story time. That was Matt's nightly ritual with Noah when we weren't on shift. He would sit in the glider that sat beside the window in the nursery, Noah on his lap, reading a book. Usually by the time he was half way through, Noah's eyes were closed and he was off in dreamland.

But tonight was not usual. Our routine, which we thrived on, was off schedule thanks to the birthday party and copious amounts of sugar. Three stories in, Matt and I were exhausted and Noah was just starting to nod off. It was almost nine pm, way past Noah's bedtime, and I felt like a walking zombie.

So moments like this - on the couch, wrapped in Matt's arms...I cherish. These moments are fewer and further between now that we're parents, but that seems to make them that much more special. More luxurious, maybe. Even if we are dressed in sweat pants and have stains of baby food and puke all over our t-shirts.

"We survived," Matt says quietly. I can hear the smile in his voice.

"Do you still think tired feels good?" I ask him barely able to contain my smirk.

"What?" He chuckles.

"You said it almost exactly a year ago. You 'didn't know tired could feel this good.'"

"I did, didn't I?" he cringes. "I think I must've been blissfully happy and completely unaware of just how sleep deprived we'd be."

I turn into his chest and laugh, trying to muffle the sound. "Two years ago, we could be at the bar until two in the morning and not think twice about it."

He tries to hold back his laughter but fails. "And now we call it a good night when we're relaxing on the couch in our pajamas at eight pm."

"It has been the best year, though, hasn't it?"

Matt nods in agreement. "It's gone by quickly."

"I can't believe how fast. It was like one day he was this tiny little baby and then I blinked and he was crawling around getting into everything."

Matt kisses my temple and pulls me closer to him. We sit like this for a few minutes, silently staring at the Christmas tree that's all lit up. Noah's ornament is hung slightly below our daughter's...three years later and it was still hard to think about how we'd lost her. Every once in a while, Matt or I will bring her up out of the blue, wonder what she'd be like...what milestones she'd be reaching. Sometimes it's spurred on by something that Noah does...wondering if Elizabeth would've done the same.

I feel a slight nudge in my side and I glance up at Matt. He's looking at me, his eyes are twinkling.

"What's going on in that head of yours?"

He leans down and quickly presses a kiss to my lips. When he pulls back, he answers my question. "I think we should have another."

I'm stunned into silence which he misunderstands and immediately tries to back peddle.

"I mean, I'm ready if you are. When you are." He shakes his head. "I mean -" I stand up and he stops talking. "Where are you going?"

I walk over the tree and pick up a small gift bag I had tucked behind some gifts earlier in the day.

I walk back over to the couch and sit down, facing him this time, holding the bag tightly in my hands. I nodded at the baby monitor. "You asked me last year how I was going to top him as a Christmas gift." I take a deep breath and hand him the bag.

"Are you sure you want to have me open a Christmas gift when I've just told you I'm ready to have another baby whenever you are...?"

I laugh and nod at the bag. I pull my bottom lip between my teeth and wait. He slowly pulls out the tissue paper and then reaches inside the small bag for the tiny object at the bottom.

He looks confused as he stares at the piece of plastic.

I laugh and take it from his hands, taking the cap off and turning it over to show him. The realization of what it is slowly dawns on him and he looks up at me. "Is this what I think it is?"

I nod, slowly at first and then faster as my own excitement finally bubbles to the surface.

He pulls me into him, kissing me with love and passion. When we separate, the smile seems permanently glued to his face. "You're sure it's accurate?"

I laugh and nod again. "There's three more positive tests in the trash upstairs. I thought putting all four of the tests I took in the bag would be a little much."

"We're pregnant?" I keep nodding. "How long have you known?" he asks me.

"Officially since this morning," I smile. "I just assumed I was tired because of Noah keeping us busy. Then last night, I got sick after dinner. I thought it was odd because I felt mostly fine before and after I threw up...just figured it wasn't sitting right. But this morning...when you were making that coffee...woof."

He smiles and chuckles slightly. "I'm going to throw it all out."

"I know you would," I cup his face in my hands and bring his lips to meet mine. "But don't be wasteful. Just go brew it and drink it downstairs. Then make sure you brush your teeth and spray some cologne before you get near me."

He laughs. "Yes, ma'am!" He looks down between us and brings his hand to rest on my once again flat tummy. Pretty soon there will be a bump there. My hand rests on top of his. "So, when do you think we're going to be meeting this little one?"

I can't stop the smile from spreading across my face. "First week or so of September."

"Good," he nods. "We shouldn't get snowed in at the firehouse then."

I laugh. "Don't even joke, Casey," I warn. "This time there's gonna be lots of drugs involved. I have every intention of making up for the first missed opportunity."

He smiles. "Whatever you want," he says. He places another kiss on my lips then suddenly pulls away. His eyes are sparkling again. "Noah is going to be an awesome big brother."

I nod. "Yeah. He is." I smile and thread our fingers together. "So last year I gave birth to your son for an awesome Christmas gift...and this year we found out about this little one," my hand moves Matt's hand across my belly, getting my point across.

"Mmmhmm," he nods. "Gives you another year to figure out how you're going to outdo yourself again," and now he's chuckling.

"Glad I have a head start on planning," I joke. "But it does beg the question...how are you going to outdo yourself for our anniversary this year." I watch him closely, loving the fact that he's squirming.

The man may be my husband, the love and light of my life, but I'm a competitor and damn it, I love to win.

"Well what would you like?" he asks me.

I pretend to think it over for a moment, but really, it's the answer most women would have. "Brad Pitt, George Clooney, and the two Ryan's. Gosling and Reynolds," I tell him seriously. His mouth opens and closes a few times. I giggle then push myself up from the couch, deciding the mess can wait. I take him by his hand and start leading him to the stairs, and up to our bedroom. "You've still got a week to figure it out," I wink. "You're creative."

"I've got a few ideas," he tells me, not protesting as I lead him up the stairs.

"Maybe you can try a few ideas out on me tonight?" I say it so innocently but suddenly, when we reach the top of the stairs, he easily lifts me into his arms and carries me, bridal style, the rest of the way to our bedroom. He silences my giggles with loving kisses.

The End.

I could probably keep writing this story, but I think this is a pretty good place to leave it. I had originally planned for this story to be a relatively short and simple one shot. Things kind of spiraled out of control from there and here I am, four parts later. LOL

Anyway, I hope this story was a piece of fluff you all enjoyed.