Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters. They belong to the wonderfully, talented Martha Williamson.

Author's Note: Here is the final chapter of Timing is Everything.

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Chapter 10

The alarm clock was set to go off in an hour, however Shane couldn't sleep any longer. Her baby girl was due in ten days and getting comfortable had become quite challenging. She looked over at Oliver and found that he was still fast asleep. He had been putting in a lot of extra hours at the DLO in order to make sure they were all caught up before their upcoming extended absence.

Dr. Mills was allowing her to still work until the baby's arrival under the condition that she stay off of her feet as much as possible. In addition, Oliver was insistent that she only work half days, which meant he was dropping her off at home on their lunch break. Shane hated being away from her husband for so long every day, but knew that she shouldn't push herself too much this late in her pregnancy.

Shane pulled the covers back and used her hands to help push herself up into a sitting position. She rubbed her lower back to help ease some of the aching and then moved her legs to the side of the bed and slowly got up.

Today was one of those days that she did not enjoy being pregnant. She hardly slept last night, her ankles were swollen and she was feeling nauseous. To top it all off, she thought that her daughter must be putting pressure on one of her nerves as she had been having intense back spasms for the past couple of hours.

Shane slowly made her way to the bathroom, deciding that maybe a warm shower would help ease some of her discomfort. She must have stayed in there longer than she anticipated because the next thing she knew, the water was getting cold. Just as she was drying off, she heard soft knocking at the door.

"Shane? Are you okay?" She could sense the concern in Oliver's voice and knew he was fighting the urge to open the door to check on her. Shane wrapped her towel around herself and then opened the door for her husband.

"I'm fine, Oliver." She reassuringly caressed his face and then placed a kiss on his cheek.

"Are you sure, sweetheart?" Oliver was not convinced and searched his wife's face for any sign that something was wrong. "I heard the shower turn on, but that was half an hour ago."

"I just didn't sleep very well and my body is achy." She tried her best to reassure him and decided to leave out the back spasms. She didn't want to worry him more than he already was. "I thought that the warm shower would help, which it did a little."

"Shane, maybe it's best that you stay home today." He sympathetically brought his hands up to her shoulders and massaged them gently, hoping to relieve some of her discomfort. "Norman, Rita and I can handle things at the DLO."

"Oliver, there are a few things I need to research with Ally's letter. I have a couple of ideas that I want to look into and if I'm right, that letter will be delivered by the end of the day." She ran her hands slowly up and down his chest and flirtatiously whispered in his ear. "Please?"

"Alright, I suppose you win this round, Mrs. O'Toole." He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her in for a slow, sensual kiss. "You had better get dressed before I try to convince you that we should both stay home today." Shane giggled before placing one last kiss on Oliver's lips and then retreating to the other room to get dressed for the day.

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A few hours later, Shane's hunch had paid off and the POstables had enough information to deliver Ally's letter. There was a snowstorm coming in, so Oliver wanted to get the letter delivered as soon as possible so that he could then send everyone home early before the roads got bad. He was insistent that Shane stay at the DLO and opted to take Norman with him instead.

"Please be careful, Oliver." Shane's eyes were filled with concern as she hugged her husband goodbye.

"I will, my love." He kissed her forehead and lovingly placed his hand on her belly. "As soon as we return, I'm taking you home and we'll spend the rest of the day together." He gave her one last lingering kiss before leaving with Norman.

An hour had passed and Shane and Rita were busy sorting while anxiously awaiting the return of their husbands. Shane couldn't concentrate on the task at hand and began pacing the room, rubbing her lower back in the process as she felt pain radiate through her body. This time, however, she felt it primarily in her stomach and stopped in her tracks. She came to the realization that those "back spasms" she had been feeling throughout the day were actually back labor.

"Oh no…" Shane grasped onto a nearby table and started to panic. She was in labor and her husband wasn't here.

"Shane, what is it?" Rita was by her side in an instant and placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

"Well, Rita, I think I'm in labor." Her breathing increased while she tried to focus and stay calm. "But these things take time, right? I mean, some women are in labor for hours." Shane looked to her friend for some much needed reassurance.

"Exactly! When you got pregnant, I read all kinds of books about pregnancy and labor just in case you would ever need my help in a situation like this. I know it's important to time how far apart your contractions are and then we'll get you to the hospital as soon as Oliver and Norman get back." Rita kept her voice cheerful and positive in an effort to keep Shane relaxed. "Besides, your water hasn't broken yet so we should have plenty of time."

As soon as Rita said the words, Shane looked down at the trickle of fluid running down her legs and puddling on the floor. "Umm Rita, about that—my water just broke!" Rita's eyes grew to the size of saucers and she was momentarily at a loss for words.

"O-okay." Rita gulped loudly and worked hard to gain her composure. "Let's get you seated and then I'll call Oliver. That cell phone you convinced him to get will prove to be useful." She helped Shane to a chair and then quickly picked up the phone to call Oliver. Rita couldn't get through, so she picked up Shane's cell phone off of the desk and tried to reach him again. "I'm, uh, not getting a signal."

"Oh no!" Shane immediately started to cry. "The baby's coming and Oliver's not here! What if something happened to them? They've been gone a really long time and there's a storm comi—". Another contraction ripped through her body and interrupted her thought process.

"Shane, focus on your breathing." Rita made her way back over to Shane and offered her hand to her, which she willingly took until the pain subsided. "I have my car here, I can drive you to the hospital and we can leave a note for Oliver to meet us there."

"I just want to wait a little bit longer, Rita." Shane's bottom lip trembled and she attempted to hold back the tears that continued to fall.

"What's wrong with Shane?" Norman's voice was music to Rita's ears as she turned to look towards the door to see her curious husband and an anxious Oliver walking in.

"Her water broke." Rita informed them with urgency present in her voice. Oliver was rushing over to Shane immediately, however Norman still stood there with a look of confusion etched on his face.

"Oh, well that's no problem. I have some cash, I'll just get her another one from the vending machine." Norman took out his wallet and began getting his money out.

"No Norman, her WATER broke!" Rita emphasized her words in an attempt to get her husband to understand what was going on. Norman's brows furrowed, obviously not clear on what his wife was telling him. "Shane's in labor!"

"I guess I won't be needing my wallet for that." Norman awkwardly put his wallet away and remained alert and ready to help in any way he could.

"Shane, sweetheart, I'm here." Oliver kneeled before Shane, took her hand in his and placed a soft kiss on her fingers.

"Oliver, you were gone for so long, I was so worried you'd miss this." She brought her hand up to cradle the side of his face and gently stroked his cheek with her thumb. Oliver leaned into her touch and used his free hand to grasp the back of her head and pulled her closer until their foreheads were resting against each other.

"Nothing in this world could ever keep me from witnessing the birth of our daughter." He smiled at her with so much love in his eyes she thought her heart would burst, soon kissing her with a fervor that mirrored his gaze. "I love you, Shane. Let's go have a baby."

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The ride to the hospital had been difficult and took much longer than Oliver anticipated. It had started to snow and traffic was more congested than usual as people rushed to get home before the storm hit. To make matters worse, the frequency of Shane's contractions had increased and Oliver was unable to focus on comforting her. He was relieved when they pulled up to the hospital and were able to get a close parking spot. He helped Shane get out of the car and the two expectant parents made their way into the hospital.

Oliver was glad that he had thought to call Dr. Mills ahead of time to alert her that Shane was in labor. As soon as they walked inside the hospital, the good doctor had already procured a room for Shane and she was immediately taken back to get settled. Once she had changed into a hospital gown, Shane was examined and informed that she was five centimeters dilated. The nurse hooked Shane up to various monitors to keep an eye on her and the baby and also started an IV to to administer fluids. She left the room and advised that she would be back shortly to check on Shane.

As soon as the nurse left, there was a soft knock at the door before Rita and Margaret walked in to check on the mommy-to-be. Rita had brought Shane her overnight bag, which she and Norman had gone to retrieve for her while Oliver took Shane to the hospital. After offering Shane words of encouragement and love, they excused themselves and retreated to the waiting room to join Norman and Joe.

Oliver and Shane were finally alone in the room while they awaited the birth of their daughter. Oliver could see how tired his wife was getting from the intensity of the contractions and he wished that he could do something more to help her. Shane's face contorted in pain as she tightly clutched his hand while Oliver watched to monitor measuring the contraction.

"Oliver, I can't do this." Shane was weeping and she felt even more exhausted than she'd ever been in her whole life. She had opted to deliver her baby naturally, however she was having a hard time focusing on anything but the excruciating pain taking over her body every few minutes. "It hurts so bad." She clutched his shirt and buried her head in his chest.

"Sshhhh…you can do this." Oliver whispered in her ear as he lovingly rubbed her back and held her close. He pulled back slightly and tucked her hair behind her ear and wiped the tears off of her cheeks. "You, Shane O'Toole, are the strongest woman—no, scratch that. You're the strongest person I know. I can't even begin to imagine the pain you're in, sweetheart, and I know that you're tired. But I believe in you and I know you can do this."

"I love y—-ahhh!" Shane curled up against Oliver and closed her eyes tightly. The contractions were every couple of minutes now and lasting longer.

"Focus on your breathing, Shane. It's almost over." Oliver's soothing voice was helping Shane to get through the pain. He always had a way of knowing and doing precisely what she needed.

Dr. Mills walked in the room and told them she needed to check Shane. She had been keeping an eye on the contractions from the monitor at the nurse's station and had a feeling it may be time for Shane to start pushing. Her suspicions proved to be correct and Shane was now ten centimeters dilated. She paged a couple of nurses to join her in the delivery room as it was now time for Shane to push.

"This is it, Oliver." Shane's nervous laugh brought a smile to Oliver's face. This woman, his beautiful wife and mother of his child, was the most incredible creature he'd ever laid eyes on. She was sweaty and her makeup had long worn off. Her hair was messy and sticking to her forehead. The bags and dark circles under her eyes spoke volumes of her exhaustion. But to Oliver, she was gorgeous, magnificent and perfect in every way.

"I love you, Shane, and I'm so proud of you." He adjusted his hand so that Shane had the firmest grip possible on it. "Squeeze my hand as hard as you want. I'm here with you—forever." Oliver kissed her forehead and then pushed her hair back behind her and out of her face.

Once Dr. Mills had everything prepared for the delivery, she helped Shane to position herself to push while the nurses stood by. The next contraction hit Shane and she was instructed to push through it. She was only given a short amount of time to recover before it was time to repeat the process, each time having to push longer.

Shane continued in this fashion for thirty minutes before the doctor could finally see the baby's head. She had a moment before the next contraction would be upon her and she was feeling utterly discouraged. Oliver knew exactly what his wife was thinking and wanted to switch places with her to take her pain away.

"You're almost there, my love. Just a few more pushes and Charlotte will be here." Oliver leaned towards Shane and gently kissed her lips while placing his unoccupied hand on her belly. "You are always putting everyone's needs before your own. You are loving, brave, kind, selfless—the list goes on. You're my hero, Shane, and our daughter is lucky to have you as her Mommy." His encouraging words gave Shane the strength to keep going.

After a few more tiring pushes, Dr. Mills told Shane that all she needed was one more big push and the baby's head would be out. She held Oliver's hand even tighter and looked deeply into his eyes. "I wouldn't want to be sharing this moment with anyone but you."

The final contraction was upon Shane and she pushed with everything she had in her. Moments later, a baby's cries filled the room and Shane collapsed against the pillows. The baby was instantly placed on top of Shane's chest as Oliver cut the umbilical cord.

Oliver and Shane were both crying tears of joy and marveled in each and every feature of their precious baby girl. From her tiny nose, kissable cheeks and ten fingers and toes—they loved every part of her and she was absolutely perfect. The new parents had a couple of minutes with her before the nurse gently took Charlotte to have her checked out. Oliver followed his daughter while the other nurse and Dr. Mills helped to get Shane cleaned up. After months of waiting, Charlotte Rose O'Toole, weighing in at 7lbs 4oz and 21in long, was finally here.

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As soon as Shane and Charlotte were cleaned up, Shane's hospital room was bustling with activity. Grandpa Joe and Grandma Margaret came in bearing flowers for Shane and gifts for Charlotte, already eager to spoil their granddaughter. "Uncle" Norman and "Aunt" Rita were excited to officially use their bestowed upon titles as they got to meet their "niece" for the first time. Even Aunt Alex made a late appearance, having hopped on a flight as soon as she heard that Shane was in labor. It had been a wonderful day, however the recently expanded O'Toole family was happy to finally be alone together for the very first time.

Shane had just finished nursing their baby daughter and Oliver looked on in awe as he watched his wife's instant attachment to motherhood. God had bestowed upon him the greatest gift in the world when he sent Shane down the path that led to him. This moment, this feeling would be stored away in Oliver's heart and soul, right next to the day he married Shane, as the most precious he'd ever had in his life.

"She's our miracle, Oliver. Can you believe that we made her?" Shane asked as Oliver carefully sat down next to her on the bed. He helped her readjust herself so that she was partially leaning against him. He wrapped his arms around his wife and daughter—his family— and leaned down to kiss Charlotte's forehead.

"Oh yes, I can believe it." Oliver kissed Shane's lips slowly and tenderly. "She's perfect in every way, just like her Mommy."

As Shane relaxed in her husband's arms while holding their daughter in her own, she said a silent prayer to God and thanked him for answering her letter. It took some time, but her family was worth the wait.

THE END

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Author's Note: Thank you so much for everyone's support! This was my very first SSD fanfic and I'm so grateful to all of you for your reviews and words of encouragement.