Author's Note: You didn't really think I'd let this end without closing things up properly, now did you? I'm mean, but I'm not that mean. Enjoy.

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Roughly seven months later, Calleigh lay exhausted in a hospital bed surrounded by friends and family. Glancing to the side, she saw Eric proudly showing off his brand new daughter.

"Do you want to know the sex?" Dr. Gallegos asked.

"Yes." They agreed in unison.

"Okay." She moved the ultrasound wand over Calleigh's belly. "It…looks like a…girl."

"A girl." Eric breathed. "A baby girl." He gripped Calleigh's hand even tighter.

"Did you want a boy?" She'd asked him later that night. Most men wanted boys, she figured, but hoped he wasn't too disappointed with the news.

"Actually, no." He answered honestly. "I want a little you. Blonde hair. Green eyes. Great shot."

"I hate to tell you this, but she probably won't have blonde hair."

"Still, I really wanted a girl. Honestly. You?"

"Yeah. Me, too."

Maitea sat on the edge of the hospital bed. "How are you feeling?"

"Tired." She smiled, drinking the water Abuela offered her gratefully. "And sore."

"She's beautiful."

"She really is, isn't she?" Little Elisa Marisol Delko had a full head of dark brown hear, big brown eyes, and a cry that could peel paint, but to Calleigh the sound was music to her ears. She wasn't sure how it happened, but the second she held the squirming little girl in her arms, she felt something inside her break. She felt she'd sprouted that crazy-new mom gene, that one she'd always mocked in other women. She knew she'd just become that mom that freaked out and ran to the doctor at the first sign of a temperature over ninety nine degrees, ran to the emergency room at the fist sign of sniffles…in short…she'd just become a new mother. And she loved it.

"Do you need us to get you anything, dear?" Eric's mother sat on the other side of the bed and hugged her daughter-in-law. "Are you hungry?"

"I'm good, but thanks."

"Can I hold her?" Coralee asked Eric tentatively. Little Elisa was her first niece, and she wanted to establish a good 'auntie' bond early.

Eric regarded her carefully for a moment before deeming her adequate to hold his baby girl. The second he laid eyes on her she had him wrapped around her little finger. Elisa was, forever, Daddy's little girl. Carefully and suspiciously, he handed Elisa to Coralee.

"Support her head." He advised, and was rewarded with a 'look.'

"Sorry." He shrugged. "Reflex." That reflex was born the second he got the call.

"Delko." He was on a scene, and he hadn't bothered to look at the number before he answered.

"Eric."

"Calleigh!"

"Eric, it's time."

"Time?"

"Eric!"

"Time. It's time!" He finally got it. "I'll be right there! Hang on." He flipped the phone closed and literally ran to find Horatio.

"H.!" He hollered. "H.! Calleigh just called. I've got to go. It's time!"

"I'll take care of it, Mr. Delko." Horatio removed his sunglasses. "Go take care of your wife."

Eric was sprinting toward the car before Horatio was finished with his sentence. "Congratulations, Eric!" He hollered after the young man. "We'll be there as soon as we can."

"Thanks, H.!" Eric hollered before he jumped into the car. He ran lights and siren all the way home. No, it wasn't legal, but he didn't care. His wife was in labor with his first child, and he had to get there quickly.

"Calleigh!" He rushed into the house, breathless. "Calleigh!"

"In here." She called from the bathroom. She'd had to change clothes after her water broke.

"Your bag?" He asked.

"By the door."

"Ready?"

"Yeah." He helped her to the car, dashed back inside to grab her bag, and jumped into the car.

"Have you called anyone yet?" He asked as he pulled out of the driveway.

"Coralee." She replied. "Abuela and Opa. Your mom and dad. I figured they'd take care of everyone else."

"H. says good luck. And he's going to bring everyone by later."

"She might not be born yet, you know." Calleigh reminded him before a painful contraction made her wince.

"Cal?" He grabbed her hand nervously.

"I'm fine." She let out her breath as the pain passed. "Abuela is on her way now. Your mom is, too. I hope they aren't putting any plans on hold." She mused. "The book says labor can take hours. Lots of hours. Cristina said she was in labor with Vincent for, like, fourteen hours."

"I remember."

"I love you." He was so excited he could barely breathe.

Eric had amazed Calleigh throughout the entire pregnancy process. She'd never heard of a man being so excited, so involved in the pregnancy. He waited on her hand and foot, eagerly running to the store whenever she needed anything. He'd insisted on accompanying her to pick out furniture for the nursery, painted the walls himself (and done a phenomenal job, too.) He'd even been the one to enlist Abuela to paint butterflies all over the walls to match the crib set. He'd positively shocked Calleigh a few times when he'd come home with arms full of bags. He actually shopped for baby clothes himself. He bought her onesies, gowns, little dresses, blankets, toys…anything he could find that was cute; he bought. Calleigh packed a few of things he'd purchased in her hospital bag so she could put them on the baby as soon as possible. It was touching. He really couldn't wait to be a father.

Eric marked every one of Calleigh's appointments on his calendar, and had taken off the entire day every time to make sure he didn't miss anything. He talked to her stomach every night, rubbing it, hoping to feel her move, kick against his hand. The first time he felt it, he jumped and hollered a little, then smiled for days.

"My little girl's going to be a great swimmer." He'd told everyone proudly. "She's got a killer kick. Great for the butterfly." Secretly, he also had visions of her in a little pink tutu twirling away on stage, in soccer cleats and shin guards scoring the winning goal, in breeches and riding boots, riding a horse. His little girl could do anything, he was sure of it.

He had poured over books of baby names, searching for just the right one for his little princess.

"What about naming her after your mother?" Calleigh suggested.

"I'm not naming my daughter Clorinda." He protested.

"Why?"

"Do you know anyone under the age of sixty named Clorinda?"

She did not.

"We could name her after your mother?"

"Beatrice?" Not only did Calleigh not like the name, she hated the idea.

"How about Maitea?" Eric figured she might be more willing to use her Abuela's name.

"Put it on the list."

He had suggested Coralee, but Calleigh rejected it. "We can't all have names that end in "-lee."" She laughed. "Talk about confusing."

She had a point.

"Elizabeth?"

"Pretty, but really common." She thought for a moment, contemplating her words carefully. "What about Marisol?"

Eric's head shot up, but he chewed on his lip before answering. "Not for her first name." He shook his head. "I can't use it for her first name. It's still…painful. Maybe for a middle name?"

"Middle name." Calleigh agreed. "I like it." She rubbed her swollen belly lovingly. "You have a middle name now, little one."

It took them weeks more before they'd settled on Elisa. They loved the way it sounded, Elisa Marisol. They couldn't wait to meet her.

Maitea and Warrener actually beat them to the hospital. They'd sold their house in Louisiana when Calleigh told them she was pregnant and moved to the Fort Lauderdale area to be closer. They had no real ties to Darnell, and the news of Calleigh and Eric's baby was just the push they needed to move someplace warmer – someplace closer to their Calleigh. Maitea had already volunteered to watch the baby when Calleigh returned to work, and Eric's mother was equally eager to lend a hand.

"Hey!" Ryan poked his head in the door, then straightened up and walked inside, followed by the rest of the troupe, each carrying flowers and balloons and gifts.

"Congratulations, you guys!" Natalia squealed, hugging Calleigh tightly. "Oh, she's so beautiful!"

"We think so." Calleigh grinned, wishing someone would unhand her daughter and let HER hold her for a few minutes. She's the one who gave birth to her, after all.

"Can I hold her?"

Eric's eyes met Calleigh at Natalia's question. Everyone wanted to hold her. He allowed it, but only when Calleigh nodded that it was okay.

Ryan hugged Calleigh, followed by Valera, then Horatio.

Half an hour later, Eric could stand it no longer and retrieved his daughter from the capable arms of one Horatio Caine. He had nothing in particular against Horatio holding his daughter, just…Eric wanted her to himself for a while. He cuddled her against him and sat down beside Calleigh on the hospital bed. She immediately reached out and stroked her daughter's brown curls, missing the feeling of the child in her arms. "I'm next." She whispered in his ear, and then laid her head on his shoulder. She was so tired. Labor, apparently, was still work even if you couldn't feel it. God bless modern medicine and good epidurals. Her eyelids were so heavy.

Calleigh awoke a few hours later to find the room still crowded with people. Abuela and Opa were still there, and were talking quietly with Eric's parents. All of Eric's sisters were there, crowded around Coralee, who was holding her niece again. The husbands, apparently, were caring for the children. Eric was in a chair beside her bed holding her hand and talking with Horatio, but his eyes never left Elisa. Ryan was trying to work his way into the conversation Coralee was having, and Valera was asleep and snoring lightly in a chair by the door. She watched the scene play out before her eyes, all the people who loved her, who'd come to see her. She squeezed Eric's hand, smiling at him when he smiled squeezed back. Their eyes met and she mouthed "I love you."

"Want me get her for you?" He asked.

"Yeah."

Eric released her hand, retrieved her daughter, and settled her in Calleigh's waiting arms. Snuggling her daughter tenderly against her chest, she signed in contentment. Eric sat beside her, draped his arm across her shoulders, and kissed her temple. This moment was so perfect. She felt…so very loved. So very connected. So surrounded by the people who were most important to her. They were all her family…or, you know, something like it.

_______________________________________________________________FIN_____________________________________________________________________________

That's it. You know what to do. Oh, yeah. I forgot to add a few things to the note, so I'm updating it. Thank you to everyone who stuck by me for fifty (freaking) chapters. This was only supposed to be about ten chapters long. Then fourteen. Then twenty. It sort of snowballed. I appreciate everyone's patience and the kind reviews that you all took time out of your lives to write. You're all too kind, really. Okay. I've never really written anything like this before, so it was quite a learning experience. I think I'll purchase a better thesaurus for the next story. I got tired of using the same words over and over again. Thanks for putting up with repetition. Have a wonderful new year, everybody! Ciao!