Thirty Six Weeks

And

Counting

Nate saw Eliot standing in front of the nursery. He didn't know if he had it in him to walk the ten or so feet to check on his hitter. The hospital wasn't the place he would have chosen to be right now but Eliot needed him. Walking slowly he made it the last few feet before Eliot looked up.

"You could have waited at home."

"I'm fine. How's Kenna?"

"Pretty banged up but we're all okay. Jack the paramedic broke his arm and the driver…he's in surgery."

"What happened?"

"Snowplow ran the light." Nate looked over at the baby next to the window. Her eyes closed she was sleeping soundly. "Where is everyone?"

"I made them wait in the lobby. I wanted to make sure you were all okay."

"The doctor's examining Kenna." He looked at the baby. "Faith is fine. Seven pounds two ounces."

"She's a beauty." Nate patted Eliot's shoulder. "Should I call up the troops?"

"Sure. I should get back to Kenna. She's in room three eighteen."

"Okay, see you in a few minutes." Nate nodded. He watched Eliot walk down the hall. Things were going to change in there world. Nate hopped for the better.

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"I think she was in a little bit of shock when she came in but she's resting comfortably now." The doctor told Eliot.

"She never lost consciousness."

"That's good. Jack told me your quick thinking kept the three of you from getting tossed around more than you did."

"Yeah well I've been hit more ways then I want to recall. It was just instinct."

"Well you did everything right tonight Eliot. I heard you have a beautiful daughter."

"Yeah, she's really something." He looked through the door. "Thank you for everything doc."

"I'm keeping both of them a couple of days, just to be safe." Eliot nodded.

"She's not going to like that."

"Well you'll just have to keep her from giving the nurses a hard time." The doctor left. Eliot went into the room. He knew that Nate and the others would be there soon but he couldn't bring himself to wake her. She said a lot of things last night. Things that he wasn't sure she would want to remember.

(Flashback)

"Kenna, baby are you okay."

"Faith?"

"She's fine baby…she's right here." Kenna looked at the baby and nodded. "Jack's a little beat up but I think we're all okay."

"What happened?" Kenna asked.

"Plow hit us doing about fifty. We're lucky we only flipped twice and landed back upright." Jack answered.

"It wasn't supposed to be like this." Kenna closed her eyes.

"Stay with me baby." Kenna lifted the baby and handed her to Eliot.

"I wasn't meant to have her."

"Kenna, sweetheart, it was an accident." He looked at her. She was shaking.

"NO!" She opened her eyes and there was anger and fear in their brown depths. "No Eliot. Accidents are once in a life time events that can be chalked up to fate or whatever. Not things that happen over and over telling you the choice you made in your life aren't the ones that you should of made." The sound of more sirens echoed in the darkness. "It wasn't meant to be." The fire and rescue workers were all around them then. Eliot held Faith close and let the EMT's take care of Jake and Kenna.

"Eliot are you okay?" Jake was next to him. "Is the baby okay?"

"Yeah, we're fine." The baby started crying and Kenna didn't even look at the child. "Shhhh, darlin' daddy's here." He held her close and her crying subsided. He had pulled Kenna back from a lot edges lately but the one she was teetering on now may pull them both over and there would be no one that could pull them back.

(Present)

"Hey, sweetheart." Eliot took her hand in his. "Kenna?"

"You're here."

"Where do you think I would be?"

"I don't know." She looked at him.

"Kenna, we're all okay. Nate and the others are on their way up here to see you and Faith."

"Could you tell them to come back?" She turned her head to look out the window.

"No, Kenna. I'm not going to let you do this. That plow driver had been on the road for at least eighteen hours. It was an accident. Nothing more nothing less. You have a beautiful baby girl waiting down in that nursery to see her mama and I will not let you shut her or your family out."

"I'm not shutting anyone out, I just gave birth in the back of a truck and got run over by a plow, I'm really not in the mood." Eliot shook his head.

"Kenna, just give them five minutes." There was a knock at the door and a nurse brought Faith in.

"Someone's hungry." The young woman pushed the bassinet around to the bed. "Do you need some help getting her situated?"

"No." Kenna whispered. The nurse handed her the baby and Eliot watched her stiffen. This was going south faster than anyone would of guessed. He stepped closer to the bed.

"She needs her mama, I need her mama." Eliot took her hand. "Shit happens to us all the time and we bounce back. We get through it. Don't shut down Kenna, not now. I know how easy it can be to do but we've got a family to think about." He touched the little girl's hair. "Give it chance Kenna, that's all I'm asken'." She looked at him. Maybe he was right. Some thing's just happen and she needed to get over it. Kenna adjusted the baby and let her start feeding. "See, it'll all work out." He sat next to her on the bed and ran his hand over her hair.

"I'm sorry." She whispered as they watched their daughter.

"Nothin' to be sorry about darlin'. We all need some time to adjust". There was a knock at the door. "You think Faith is ready to meet the rest of the family?"

"Is anyone ready to meet them?" Kenna smiled. She pulled up the sheet over the her. "Stall them for a few minutes."

"You got it." Eliot got up and went to the door. "Hey, guys. Kenna's feeding the baby for the first time and she needs a little privacy. Three heads nodded in understanding and Parker just looked confused. "Fifteen minutes, okay."

"Yeah sure. Everything else okay?" Nate asked.

"Right as rain." Eliot smiled. "Hit a little rough patch but I think we're over it. The doc wants to keep them for a couple of days just make sure everything is okay."

"We can come back tomorrow if it's too much."

"Don't even think about leaving Nathan Ford." Kenna called out. Eliot chuckled.

"Guess that's your answer. I'll come get you when she's done eating."

"You do that." Eliot went back into the room. Kenna was watching Faith as she nursed.

"That's the most beautiful sight I've ever seen." He looked at them. Kenna looked up.

"Your such a liar." She smiled. Kenna moved the baby to her shoulder and burped her. "You can let them in if you like." Eliot nodded and went to get the team. Kenna put the baby on her knees and looked at her. "Don't let them scare you. At first they're a little overwhelming but I promise they will love you just as much as daddy and mommy." Kenna smiled when Nate, Sophie, Hardison and Parker came into the room.

"Are you sure it's okay?" Nate asked.

"Yes Nate its fine." They stood around the bed.

"She looks like a little version of Eliot." Parker smiled. "She even does the eyebrow thing." Everyone laughed. Kenna reached and took Eliot's hand. It was going to be hard to make it all work but somehow they would. Nate watched as his team fussed over the new addition. He could explain the addition of the paramedic with special forces training to the team but how could a baby be explained if a con went wrong? Right now he didn't care. The looks on his teams faces was all he needed to justify the new addition. Eliot looked up to see the smile on Nate's face. It was the first real smile he'd seen on his bosses face since Sophie had gotten sick.

"Did you pick a middle name yet?" Hardison asked.

"Yeah. Guys meet Faith Valentine Spencer." Parker's eyes lit up.

"Really, you named her Valentine."

"Faith Valentine. And we want the four of you to be her god parents." Eliot looked at their friends.

"Us?" Sophie asked.

"Is there anyone else in the room?" Kenna looked at Eliot.

"I'm thinking this is the first time we've rendered these people speechless." She said. This was her family and together they would make Faith the happiest kid in the whole world.

The End

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