It was now Monday morning, October 12th. The time was 3 am and Jessica couldn't sleep. She carefully gets out of bed to not wake Evan up.

Lola picks her head up and stands when she sees Jessica heading towards the bedroom door. Lola has been restless as well. It was as she could sense that Jessica was close to giving birth.

Lola follows Jessica down the stairs and into the kitchen.

Jessica decides to make a cup of tea. She puts the teapot on the stove to heat the water.

She then gets a cup and her favorite tea from the cabinet. She puts the tea bag inside the cup and waits till the water boils.

Jessica sits at the kitchen table, her hands cradling her belly. The baby's kicks were gentle.

Jessica then tenses up as a contraction creeps up on her. She breathes through the contraction. Lola whined a little as she watched Jessica.

So far, the contractions had stayed at 15 minutes apart. Jessica has now been in labor for 12 hours. Maybe more.

Once the contraction passed, Lola laid her head on Jessica's lap. Jessica patted Lola's head and said. "Your baby sister is almost here, Lola! Are you excited?"

Lola raised her head a little and wagged her tail. Her tongue hung out and she barked once before laying her head back on Jessica's lap.

"I'll take that as a yes." Jessica said with chuckle.

Jessica stayed in the kitchen for a while as she drank her tea. By the time Jessica finished her tea, she stared at the clock that was hanging on the wall in the kitchen.

It was now 4:30 am and it seemed that the contractions were changing. It had been ten minutes since the last contraction.

She didn't want to wake Evan up until she knew this was it. She decided to keep a close eye on them and if they were consistent, then she would wake Evan up to head to the hospital.

Also, another change she noticed that this recent contraction lasted a bit longer than they have been before.

Jessica moved to the living room to lay on the couch and watch some tv. She flipped through a few channels before finding a show to watch.

Jessica some how managed to fall asleep for a while. Lola laid on the floor beside her and kept watch over her.

At 6:30 am, Jessica woke up and with some struggle, she sat up. She was in the middle of a contraction. Lola right by her side.

"Ooohh!!!! Wow..." she said in between breaths. "This...this hurts!"

Once the contraction passed, Jessica sighed and wiped the tears away that had appeared.

Jessica looked at Lola and said. "That was intense. Oh, Lola...I...I'm so scared." Tears appeared once again and they rolled down her cheeks.

Lola whined and got closer to Jessica.

"This one is hurt so bad. This is a type of pain I've never experienced before." Jessica went on. "Earlier, the contractions were...were sort of bearable. Now...now I know they are just going to keep getting more and more painful."

She knew Lola did not understand what she was saying. But it helped Jessica talk through her feelings and fear. Lola just looked at Jessica intently as if she were actually listening.

Jessica couldn't help but chuckle at Lola. She wiped away her tears again and said. "Thank you for listening, my sweet sweet girl."

Lola licked Jessica's face and Jessica ran her hand through Lola's fur.

"Alright, let's time these contractions and see what happens next." Jessica said.

For the next hour, Jessica timed the contractions and they were now ten minutes apart.

*7:30 am*

After the hour was up, Jessica knew now was the time to head to the hospital.

She walked upstairs to the nursery and grabbed the hospital bag she had packed a few weeks before.

Jessica was surprised that she was this calm. She still had fears, and was nervous but so far, she kept her cool.

She walked out of the nursery and into the bedroom. She placed the bag onto her bed and walked over to Evan's side. She placed her hand on his shoulder and shook him gently.

"Evan....Evan, wake up." Jessica said.

Evan stirred, his eyes fluttering slowly open. He was lying on his stomach and he rolled onto his back. He yawned and stretched.

"Evan..." Jessica said again.

Evan eyes opened finally and looked at Jessica. He quickly sat up and said. "Jess, what's going on?"
"Evan, I..." Jessica began but was interrupted by a contraction. Jessica groaned in pain and said in between breaths while holding her belly. "It's...it's time....to...go to the...hos...hospital!"

Evan threw the covers off of himself and froze for second. He stared wide eyed at Jessica.

Jessica saw the panic in Evan's eyes. She reached for his hand and said. "Evan, honey, calm down, okay? Take a deep...deep breath and let it out. It's...it's going to be alright. Go over and tell Sarah what's going on. I'm going to change real quick. When you get back you should do the same."

Evan nodded and took a deep breath then let it out just as Jessica instructed. Evan kissed Jessica's lips then he threw on a T-shirt and rushed over to Sarah's.

Jessica composed herself and walked over to her closet. She dressed in some clean clothes that were comfortable then she walked back to the bedroom to sit on the edge of the bed. Lola of course staying close to her.

Evan ran over to Sarah's and he was so nervous he was stuttering. But Sarah was able to understand what he was trying to say.

She and Lily were still in their pajamas with their robes on and were having their morning coffee when they heard Evan knock on their door.

Sarah immediately rushed over to Jessica's with Evan. Sarah and Evan made their way upstairs and into the bedroom to find Jessica in the middle of a contraction.

Jessica was hunched over a little; she had one hand on her belly and the other she hand was holding onto the side table that was next to the bed. She needed something to hold onto so she wouldn't fall over. She was moaning and trying to breath through the contractions.

Sarah rushed over to her and helped her through the contraction. Evan was frozen in place. He was feeling scared and he wasn't sure if he could be there for Jessica like he thought.

"Jess, I'm gonna go get dressed really quick, then we'll head to the hospital." Sarah said soothingly as she rubbed Jessica's back.

Jessica nodded and stood up. "We'll meet your in the car." She told Sarah.
Sarah smiled after Jessica and said with tears in her eyes. "You're going to have baby, Jess!"

Jessica teared up, smiled and nodded at Sarah.
Sarah squeezed Jessica's hand gently then she let go to rush over to her house to get dressed.

Before leaving the room, Sarah was able to snap Evan out of his thoughts for a moment.

Evan was able to get dressed then he grabbed the hospital bag. He and Jessica then made their way out the house.

Before walking out the door, Jessica kneeled down and hugged Lola. She was real emotional because it had been Danny, Lola and her then when Danny died it was just her and Lola for a long time.

Now a new member would be joining their family.

Lola licked Jessica's face and she gently placed her paw on Jessica's bump.

"We'll see you soon, Lola." Jessica said. "I love you."

Lola whined a bit and licked Jessica's face once more before Jessica stood up with Evan's help.
They finally left and Evan locked up.

Evan helped Jessica into the backseat of the car and he waited for Sarah to return.

Sarah rushed back over with Lily and Emma close behind. They wanted to wish Jessica good luck and give her a quick hug.

"Good luck, Jess." Lily said as she hugged Jessica. "Me and Emma will be there later to visit. Also, don't worry about Lola. I'll take care of her till you and Evan return."
"Thank you, Lily." Jessica said.
"I'll call Phil and Emily to let them know what's going on." Lily said.
Jessica nodded her head and thanked her again.

Next Emma hugged Jessica and Sarah kissed Lily goodbye.

Sarah then got into the drivers side of the car and Evan passed the keys to her. Evan got into the backseat with Jessica and they were on their way.

As they pulled out of the driveway, Jessica was hit with another contraction. She had one hand on her belly and the other she grabbed Evan's hand. She squeezed it tightly and breathed through the contraction.

Evan just held onto her hand and waited. He felt lost. All that he had learned during the Lamaze class seemed to have escaped his mind. He had promised himself that he would be there for Jessica.

But now that Jessica was in a labor and this was really happening, Evan was starting to doubt himself. He started to feel as if he couldn't be there for his wife.

Sarah was speeding a little bit she was still careful. She didn't want to get stopped by a cop so she tried not to rush too much.

At a stop sign, Sarah looked through the rear view mirror to look at Jessica.

"How are you doing, Jess?" She asked nervously.

Jessica had her eyes shut tight and she leaned onto Evan's shoulder. "It's...it's getting more painful." She said breathlessly. "But, I'm...okay...so far."

Sarah took her eyes off of Jessica because it was now her turn to go. But she spoke to Jessica as she drove. "We're almost there. You're doing good, Jess."

The contraction was over and Jessica was able to relax again. She sat up but still held onto Evan's hand.

It was quiet ride after that and Jessica got another contraction as they approached the hospital.

Sarah found a parking spot really close to the entrance. She parked the car then she got out and opened Jessica's door.

Jessica was leaned forward and breathing through the pain. She grunted a little, the contractions seemed to become more and more painful than the last.

Once it passed, Sarah helped Jessica out of the backseat and Evan rushed out of the car to help Jessica as well.

Evan took over and he wrapped his arm around Jessica. He guided Jessica into the hospital.

Sarah quickly pushed the button on the car keys and locked the car doors. She jogged to catch up to Evan and Jessica.

Sarah was able to walk in front of them and she walked straight to the front desk to ask for help.

A nurse looked up from her computer screen and asked for Jessica's name.

"Jessica Peters. Her doctor is Dr. Davis." Sarah answered.

The nurse quickly typed in Jessica's name and said. "Alright, Mrs. Peters. I will page Dr. Davis and get you settled into a room."

The nurse stood up to page Dr. Davis then she grabbed a wheelchair. By the time she walked around to the other side of the front desk, Jessica was leaning onto the front desk.

She breathed through the contraction and the nurse rushed over.

Once it was over the nurse helped Jessica sit in the wheelchair.

Soon, the nurse took Jessica over to take her to the third floor where the maternity ward was.
Sarah and Evan followed the nurse into the elevators.

When they got to the third floor, they all exited the elevator and the nurse quickly told the nurses of the maternity ward what's was going on.

Another nurse took over and pushed Jessica into an empty room.

The nurse then takes some notes for Dr. Davis who was now on her way to see Jessica. She asked Jessica a few questions such as how far apart the contractions were and for how long she's been having contractions.

The nurse finishes her notes then introduces herself. "My name is nurse Jackie. Let's get you settled into a gown and into bed. Dr. Davis is on her way and should be here in a few minutes."

Jessica nodded as another contraction rolled through her abdomen. She held her belly with both hands and she breathed through pain.

A minute later, nurse Jackie and Sarah helped Jessica into a hospital gown and into the bed.

Evan stood back wringing his hands together. His nerves quickly getting the best of him. But he was able to hide this fact from Jessica.

Once Jessica was settled, Sarah sat down on Jessica's right side and Evan sat down on the left side of Jessica.

Evan reached for Jessica's hand. He wanted to push passed his fears as best he could to be there for Jessica. She smiled at him and he smiled at her.

Just then Dr. Davis walked through the door and closed the door behind her.

"Hello, Jessica, Evan...and..." Dr. Davis said as she looked at Sarah.
"Sarah." Jessica said. "She's my best friend and she will be here in the room with me."

Dr. Davis smiled and nodded as she shook Sarah's hand.

Dr. Davis then asked the nurse for Jessica's folded that held the notes that Nurse Jackie had written down.

"Alright, I am going to check to see if you have dilated and we'll check on baby girl and see what position she is in." Dr. Davis said.

Nurse Jackie went to get an ultrasound machine while Dr. Davis checked Jessica.

The doctor puts on some gloves and tells Jessica to left up get legs a bit. Dr. Davis does the examination then after a minute or so, she said. "Okay, you can relax now. Jessica, you are dilated to six centimeters. You're almost there. Now, we still need your water to break so, after I check on the baby, I want you to walk around for a while to try to get things moving along. If walking doesn't work, then I will have to break it for you to speed things up."

Jessica nods as she closed her eyes as another contraction took over. She breathed through the pain and let out a groan.

By the time nurse Jackie came back into the room, the contraction was over.

Soon, Dr. Davis was performing the ultrasound.

Jessica smiled as she watched her baby girl on screen. The baby wasn't moving much however, the baby's strong heartbeat filled the room.

"The baby is head down, so she is ready!" Dr. Davis said. "Her heartbeat sounds strong and is doing well."

After the ultrasound, Dr. Davis tells Jessica to take a walk around the maternity ward.

"Try walking around for about thirty minutes then I'll meet you back in your room to check on your progress again." Dr. Davis said.

Sarah and Evan got Jessica out of bed and Sarah grabbed the robe Jessica had packed and helped Jessica put it on. They then began to walk around the maternity ward.

Jessica hopes that her water would break so things would go faster. She wanted to meet her baby already. Her impatience grew even more when they passed by the nursery filled with newborn babies.

Jessica stopped for a moment and smiled at all the babies that were in the nursery. Some asleep and some awake. She squeezed Evan's hand gently and he wrapped his arm around her shoulders. They looked at the babies and just wondered how their baby would like.

Sarah stood back and smiled at the couple. She was so happy for Jessica and was glad that her best friend was finally getting the happiness she so deserved.

After a moment, they were back to walking. On their third time around the maternity ward, Phil and Emily were getting off the elevator.

"Jessica!" Emily said as she walked over to her sister in law. She hugged Jessica and said. "How are things going? You doing okay?"

Jessica pulled away from the hug and nodded. "I'm doing alright. I'm six centimeters. My doctor suggested I walk around to try and break my water."

Phil greeted Jessica and Evan. He and Emily ended up walking with Jessica.

During the contractions, Jessica would stop and lean against either Evan, Sarah or the wall.

When Jessica wasn't leaning on Evan, Phil noticed how Evan was acting. Evan looked nervous and he was wringing his hands again.

Phil hoped that Evan could handle this and not lose focus.

When the thirty minutes were up, they all walked Jessica back to her room.

Before they could reach her room, Jessica suddenly stops and grabs Evan's hand and Sarah's shoulder. She gasps and looks down. Everyone's gaze follows hers and they find Jessica standing over a puddle of water.

Nurse Jackie was walking towards Jessica's room when she saw Jessica pause. She rushes over and says. "Jessica, you can go back to your room and wait for Dr. Davis. I'll clean this up."

Everyone guides Jessica into her room. Sarah walks Jessica over to the bed but before Jessica could get into it, she doubles over and yells out in pain.

This contraction was one of the most painful. It took Jessica's breath away.

Sarah held onto Jessica to keep her from falling onto the floor. Jessica had tears rolling down her cheeks. She was finally able to catch her breath and breathe through the pain.

Evan stood back wringing his hands more frantically. Phil noticed this and it reminded him of when Evan was younger.

Evan would wring his hands when he was under extreme stress. It had been years since Evan had done that.

"Son..." Phil said as he walked up to Evan. "Let's let your sister and Sarah get Jessica settled. We'll go for a walk."

Evan looked at his father and all Phil saw was a scared little boy. Phil sighed; this was one of his fears. That Evan would be scared even after Evan has said he would be there for Jessica no matter what.

Phil put a hand on Evan's shoulder and guided him out of the room. Phil takes Evan towards the elevators and down to the lobby. Phil then brings Evan outside and they begin their walk.

It was quiet for a while, Evan still wringing his hands. They walked a little way away from the hospital doors.

Phil finally stopped Evan and looked at him. "Evan...I know you're scared." He said.

Evan looked down at the ground and continued to play with his hands.

"Evan..." Phil said again. "Son!"

Evan snapped out of his thoughts and looked at his father as if he was in trouble.

"Son..." Phil said more calmly. "It's okay to be scared. I was terrified when you were born. I thought I was going to be a horrible father. But, once I held you in my arms, I started to feel differently. Sure I was still scared but I knew I was going to protect you to the best of my abilities."

Evan stopped wringing his hands and said. "You're an amazing father. You gave me the best life possible and you protected as best you could."

Evan began to get emotional and tears rolled down his cheeks. "But dad, I am different. I'm slower than most people. I...I am stupid! I'm going to be a horrible father!" He said loudly. "And now Jessica is in pain! I knew she would be in pain but...but this is too much!"

"Hey, hey, hey!" Phil said as he brought Evan into a hug. He held his son for a moment then pulled away and said. "Look at me, Evan."

Evan looked at his father in his eyes and waited for his father to go on.

"You are not stupid." Phil said. "You hear me Evan Peters!" Evan nodded. "I know we had this talk before but I'm going to remind you. You are not stupid. Yes, you are not like other people but that's what makes you so special. Yes, you will make mistakes as a parent. But that's for ALL parents out there. No one knows the right answers sometimes but they can try their best and give their child the best life they can. Just like those parents, and your mother and I, you will learn how to take care of your child and know what they need. You're going to be a great father, Evan."

Evan looks at his father with a doubtful expression. "You think so?"

Phil gave his son a warm smile and said. "I know so."

Evan smiled through his tears and nodded.

"And son..." Phil went on and placed his hands on Evan's shoulders. "Yes. Jessica is in a lot of pain right now. That's just how it's supposed to be. But once the baby is here, that pain will be gone. Until then, you have to be there for her. You have to be there to support her and get her through this. You have to push your fear away, Evan. Do not let your fear cause you to miss your baby girl enter this world. You will regret if you miss it."

Evan took a deep breath and let it out. He has taken in his father's word and was slowly calming down.

Phil waited for Evan to work out his feelings and stayed quieted but still had his hands on Evan's shoulders.

Finally, Evan wiped away his tears, stood up straighter and held up his head high. "I'm ready to go back now." He said confidently.

Phil smiled and hugs Evan one more then before letting go. He and Evan then make their way back to Jessica's room.

Back in the room, Jessica was now laying in bed with a fetal monitor wrapped around her belly and also, monitors to make sure she was doing okay.

Her contractions were now seven minutes apart. She was better prepared now for the pain and would concentrate to breath through it.

Sarah has been coaching her in the absence of Evan and so was Emily.

Evan soon walked into the room with Phil right behind him. Evan smiled at Jessica and Jessica smiled back.

"Where did you go?" Jessica asked as she laid her head on her pillow.
"Just went for a walk with my dad for a bit." Evan said. "But now I'm back and I'm not going anywhere."

Jessica smiled and motioned for Evan to come closer. He walked closer and took hold of her hand. She gently pulled Evan closer to kiss his lips. He kissed her back and they held onto each other for a moment.

It was in this moment, that something in Evan changed. He felt so calm and was ready to be there for Jessica.

Hours later, it was now 6 pm.

At the moment, Jessica was standing by her bed, swaying back and forth during a contraction.

The contractions were now close together, sometimes Jessica wouldn't get a moment to recover when another contraction would roll around.

Evan was right by her side; he hasn't left since the moment with his father. He has been by Jessica's side coaching her through each contraction. Also, he was wiping her face with a cool wash cloth to help keep her cool and to wipe the sweat away. Sarah hadn't left her side either.

Lily and Emma were now in the waiting room waiting impatiently for the new arrival. They had gone into Jessica's room for a bit to visit.

Phil and Emily has joined Lily and Emma out in the waiting room. Michael too was there. He went to the hospital after getting out of work.

Back in the room, Jessica was groaning and would occasionally cry out in pain. There were moments where she felt like giving up. But with Evan's support, she would find the strength to keep on going.

Dr. Davis walked into the room and soon was now checking Jessica.

"Well, Jessica, you are at ten centimeters." Dr. Davis said enthusiastically. "Let's get you ready to push."

Jessica smiled and nodded her head. She was so ready to meet her baby girl.

Evan smiled at Jessica and kissed her lips then said. "It's almost over, Jess! We get to meet our baby girl! I love you, Jessica."
"I love you too, Evan." Jessica said with a giggle.

Even though she was becoming exhausted, seeing Evan so excited just let her know how close they were to meet their baby.

Before they knew it, the room was filled with nurses and another doctor was there to check the baby once she was born.

"Okay, Jessica, you can push now." Dr. Davis said.

Sarah held one of Jessica's legs while nurse Jackie held the other. Evan stayed close to Jessica and held her hand.

Jessica gave a push and squeezed Evan's hand. Jessica stopped pushing too soon so Dr. Davis said. "On the next push, you need to push a little longer, okay?"

Jessica breathed in and out and said. "O...okay."

On the next push, Evan was able to keep time for Jessica. He counted to ten and Jessica relaxed a bit.

Jessica pushed for an hour when she began to sob.

Evan caressed her cheek and asked. "Jess, what's wrong?"
"I...I can't do this!" Jessica sobbed. "I'm so tired, Evan."

"Jessica, I can see the baby's head." Sarah said as she looked at Jessica. She could see the exhaustion on Jessica's face. "Your baby is almost here. Just few more pushes. I'm sure of it!" She encouraged with a smile.

"Sarah is right, Jessica." Dr. Davis said. "Just a few more pushes and you're done."

Evan got close to Jessica's face and looked into her eyes. Tears continued to roll down Jessica's cheeks. "Do you hear that?" Evan whispered. "You're doing so good and she's almost here. You can do it, Jessica. I know you can."

Jessica sobbed quietly as she listened to Evan's words. She saw so much love in his eyes. She gave Evan a tired smile and nodded.

"Okay...." Jessica said. "But just a few more pushes."

Evan gave her a quick kiss then Jessica went back to pushing.

After a few more pushes, Jessica released a scream but with that scream, she felt her baby leave her body.

Jessica fell back into her pillow and tried to catch her breath. She closed her eyes for a second but opened them when she heard her baby's strong and loud cry.

She watched as Dr. Davis puts the baby on her chest. Jessica wraps her arms around her baby and smiles through her tears.

She looks at her baby girl in awe. The baby continues to cry. Jessica looks up at Evan who has tears rolling down his face but with a huge smile.

"She's beautiful, Jessica." Evan said as he kissed her lips. "You are so amazing!"

Jessica giggles a little then turns her attention back to the baby in her arms. "Hey, my sweet girl." Jessica said softly.

The baby continues to cry but as soon as she hears Jessica's voice, she calms down a bit.

"It's so nice to finally meet you." Jessica continues. "You have no idea how much it means to me that I get to be your mommy."

As Jessica continued to speak to her baby, the baby calms down. Her eyes are now open and she stared up at Jessica.

"I love you with all my heart, baby girl." Jessica said as she held her close. She gave the baby a kiss on her head an continue to speak to her newborn daughter.

In this moment, Jessica's heart felt so full. She was beyond excited for this next chapter of her life.