Julia had been in labor for a few hours and was now dilated to six centimeters as she was ready to have her precious baby girl, the child she longed for long before and after Hayden passed away.

"How much longer?" Suzanne asked.

"She has to be ten centimeters dilated before she can push." Mary Jo said.

"Julia, would you hurry up and have my niece already." She said as she earned one of Julia's infamous glares.

"Suzanne, don't you think I'm tryin'?"

"Not really, no."

"Well, for your information Suzanne. I'm not fully dilated yet and I'm not in the mood for your antics this morning, okay?"

"Just hurry up and have her."

"I can't ever imagine you becoming a mom." Charlene said to Suzanne.

"Noel is like my child."

"See Julia, I don't know if I'd trust leaving your baby with Suzanne, alone."

"Don't worry, we'll keep an eye on every move she makes." Anthony said as he held Julia's hand.

...

Another hour rolled by and Julia was dilated to seven centimeters as she felt her epidural slowly wear off as Anthony got her anything she requested.

"It's crazy how a few months ago, we were scared to have a baby and now, I'm at ease." Julia said.

"I'm still scared."

"There's nothing to be terrified of darlin', just listen to the doctor and nurses and after they lay her on my chest, the panic of being a new parent will vanish."

"I don't know about that. Lamaze class was a terrifying experience because everyone looked at us as if we did something wrong and that I never became a father until now."

"Darlin', that's not your fault. I'm going to tell you something that might put you at ease."

"It can't be as bad as that."

"It's not. When I was pregnant with Payne and I went into labor, Hayden was terrified too because he was becoming a new daddy."

"What did he do to get over the fear?"

"He held Payne and all of the pain I went through to bring him into this life and the panic of being a new father went away." Julia said as Anthony felt much better.

"Three more centimeters honey and you'll be having her soon enough."

"I feel my epidural wearing off, so I'm getting close." Julia said as her doctor walked in.

"How are you feeling Julia?"

"I'm ready to have my baby." She said as everyone smiled.

"Any pains as of right this moment?"

"I feel her moving around, but no sudden contractions."

"You'll feel them as soon as the epidural wears off."

"Now, who is going to be with you in the delivery room?"

"My husband and Mary Jo."

"Are you sure?" Mary Jo asked her.

"Of course Mary Jo."

"What about Charlene?" Mary Jo asked.

"Someone has to watch Suzanne and Bernice." Julia said.

"I do not need a babysitter Julia." Suzanne protested.

"Yes you do. I don't want any altercations to occur while I'm not with you two."

"There won't be any altercations Julia. I'll make sure they don't do anything wrong."

"Julia, maybe Charlene would like to be there with you, it's only fair since you were there when Olivia was born."

"Mary Jo, you stay with them. I'll be fine."

"Julia, you're about to have a contraction." Anthony said as he was looking at the heart rate monitor she was hooked up to to keep a close eye on her and the baby.

"Are you starting to feel anything?" Mary Jo asked her.

"Yes." Julia said.

"Let's check your dilation and if you're fully dilated, we'll get ready and we can start pushing."

He checked her dilation and she was one centimeter away from having her baby.

"One more centimeter Julia."

"C'mon baby, you'll be more comfortable out here than you are in there. One more centimeter sweetheart and we'll be a few steps closer to see you and who you look like." Julia said as a strong contraction took over as Anthony held her hand.

"You're fully dilated Julia. Are you ready to meet your daughter?"

"Yes!" Both her and Anthony said at the same time.

"Okay, on your next contraction, I want you to push."

"That sounds good." Julia said as she gathered the strength she had as the next contraction set its course and she started pushing.

"You're doing good baby, keep pushing until you get to ten." Anthony said nervously.

"I know honey." Julia said as she leaned back while Anthony wiped her forehead and kissed her hand.

"You're still gorgeous to me like you were when I first met you." Anthony said.

"I'm sweaty and my leftover makeup is smeared."

"Nothin' is better than that." Anthony kissed her forehead once again.

"Julia, you're about to have your next contraction."

"I know and hoo... Here it comes." Julia said as she squeezed Mary Jo and Anthony's hands.

"Julia, are you trying to juice lemons here to make lemonade?" Mary Jo asked.

"I wish giving birth were that easy Mary Jo."

"I know honey, but the pain you're feeling won't be as bad as the joy you'll feel of meeting your daughter."

"I'm ready."

"I know you are honey and I'm right here beside of you. Now, let's have us a baby."

"You have no idea how long I've waited this moment."

"I think Hayden knows too."

"Maybe we could've have our little girl, but I'm just happy we had Payne and every time I look into his face, I see his daddy."

"I know, but I'm pretty sure everyone, alive and in spirit is ready to meet this little angel."

"We all are." Anthony said.

"I feel another one coming. Ahh ooh ahh."

"Deep breaths, inhale and exhale." Mary Jo said.

"Alright Julia, bare down into your bottom and push on the count to ten."

Julia bared down and they counted.

"One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine and ten."

Julia leaned back and caught her breath as Anthony wiped her forehead to cool her down.

Then, the heart rate machine started going off and Julia knew right then and there something wasn't right.

"Anthony, Julia, the baby's heart beat is going down, we need to get y'all in the operating room to undergo a cesarean." Her doctor said as they nodded.

"Do what you have to do." Julia said as the nurses worked fast and careful to not hurt her in anyway as they made their way into the hallway to go to the operating room.

Suzanne, Bernice and Charlene seen the doctor and nurses with Anthony, Julia and Mary Jo.

"What's wrong Mary Jo?" Charlene asked worriedly.

"Presley's heartbeat was dropping so they have to perform a cesarean."

"I think we should pray for them." Charlene said as they all had tears in their eyes.

"Let's do it."

"Dear Lord, we call upon your name to please watch over Anthony and Julia as she undergoes something every woman fears and please let our goddaughter be okay with no problems." Charlene said.

"Lift them and hold them tightly as Anthony is scared right now as they bring their baby into this life and let them be okay, we call upon you God, please let them pull through this." Mary Jo prayed as she cried.

...

In the operating room

They put Julia under the mandated anesthetic as Anthony was all over the place with mixed emotions, worried about both his wife and daughter.

"Anthony, the baby is fine but what we have to do is make an incision in her uterus and abdomen. Julia is at high risk which is totally common and we're starting right now." Their doctor said as Anthony heard him as he just focused on Julia and waited for the sound of crying.

He held her hand and kissed her forehead as it scared him to death, wishing that it could be him instead of her.

"Ladies, I need the umbilical cord scissors and everything ready for her arrival."

"Yes sir." The ladies cheerfully said.

"She's almost here baby." Anthony said as he kissed Julia's hand.

"She's almost here Anthony, do y'all have everything ready to clean her up with?"

"Yes sir."

"Well, here she is." Their doctor said as Anthony heard the sound of a high pitched cry out as he started crying as the doctors cleaned Julia up while the nurses cleaned Presley up.

"Mr. Bouvier, would you like to cut her umbilical cord?"

"Yes I would." Anthony said as he cut it and they laid her in his arms.

"Oh my goodness, you're pretty just like your mommy."

"We got Mrs. Bouvier from here Mr. Bouvier, this little lady has people wanting to meet her." One of the nurses said as Anthony did not want to leave Julia.

"I don't wanna leave my wife, she's waited too long to meet her daughter."

"She won't be awake for awhile."

"I know."

"You should go and let y'all's family meet her."

"Will she be okay?" Anthony asked as he just did not want to move away from Julia.

"She's going back to the recovery room."

"I guess me and you are going to meet our family sweetheart." Anthony said to his daughter and holding her like a set of delicate pearls.

Anthony walked down the hallway, down to the waiting room where he seen all of their family as he smiled from ear to ear.

"Oh Anthony, she's beautiful." Charlene said.

"Y'all can probably guess who she got her looks from?"

"The way she purses her lips looks like you."

"I know but everything else is Julia."

"How is she?" Suzanne asked.

"She's fine. They moved her into the recovery room and y'all can go in there after she wakes up." Anthony said.

"Go and spend some time with your girls." Bernice said as Anthony smiled.

"It's almost Christmas Eve and I still have to go fill out her birth certificate."

"We'll see you later and have a great Christmas."

"I will and tell Quint and Claudia Merry Christmas from me, Julia and Presley."

"I will." Mary Jo said as she kissed both his and Presley's cheek as she grunted.

"You're not even an hour old yet and you already have your mama's sass Presley."

"Have a Merry Christmas everyone."

"Merry Christmas Anthony and Presley."

...

Later on that evening, Anthony was holding Presley as he heard Julia starting to wake up.

"Darlin'?'' Julia asked as she wanted to see if he was in there or with everyone else.

"Right here baby." Anthony said as Julia smiled as she saw him holding their daughter.

"I wanna hold her." Julia said as Anthony stood up and he easily put her in his wife's arms.

"Oh my goodness, she's beautiful." Julia started crying.

"She has your face and nose.''

"I bet she has your eyes and she has a mixture of mine and your lips."

"She gave one your famous grunts to Mary Jo earlier."

"That must've been her Christmas present to her."

"Speaking of Christmas, Merry Christmas baby."

"Merry Christmas darlin'." Julia said as they kissed and Presley kind of giggled as Anthony and Julia laughed as their foreheads together.

"How are you feeling baby?" Anthony asked her.

''I'm sore darlin', but over the moon right now."

"And to our Greatest Gift of all, we love you baby." Julia said as she never wanted to put her down.

"I love you Julia."

"I love you too Anthony."

"And most of all, we love you Presley Nadine Bouvier."

"Perfect!" Julia said as they watched their daughter and it felt like the most magical time of the year.

Author's Note: I hope y'all enjoy! ❤